While the NFL looks to trim the preseason schedule, the NFLPA's board voted to recommend not playing any preseason games ahead of the 2020 season https://t.co/tQNsIMYdGG

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 3, 2020

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
I’ve been saying this for a while now. The sense I get is, while the @NFL hopes all fans are on board and in support of the socially conscientious decisions the league is making, I also don’t get the sense they are sweating the loss of some “fans” that might result.

Dan Graziano@DanGrazianoESPN
NFLPA held a 2-hour call today for player reps. Lots of info re: season plans. Players could face fines for conduct detrimental if they’re found to have spread COVID by engaging in “reckless” behavior away from the facility, such as eating out at restaurants or riding in Ubers.

Other items from NFLPA call:
-Meetings, media access likely to be virtual, not in-person.
-Current proposal is to test every other day in camp, players pushing for daily testing. Public access to testing is a factor.
-Players will stay in their homes, not team hotels, for camp.

Sources said there is definitely some sentiment among players of, “Why are we playing at all if it’s this unsafe?” A ton of questions still have to be answered before they feel good about playing. There’s another NFLPA call scheduled for Friday for all players, not just reps.

Tom Pelissero@TomPelissero
With the NFLPA still opposed to preseason games, one possible camp schedule the union has discussed:

3 days: medical/equipment
21 days: strength & conditioning
10 days: unpadded practice
14 days: practice (10 max/8 padded)

Then it’d be straight into Week 1.

Worth noting is this scenario as discussed by the NFLPA: Players would be divided into smaller groups initially, e.g. under 15 players for S&C and up to 40 in unpadded practices. That’d buy an extra month or so before all players are together in a higher-exposure setting.

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
Btw, worth mentioning the NFLPA’s recommendation of cancelling preseason game will come with significant lost revenue. Teams will lose the gate, lose out on a lot of local TV money, plus the league’s network routinely posts its highest ratings in August, bc of the games.

Some more notes from the NFLPA call …

• Standard for contact tracing = being around someone for 10+ minutes at closer than 6 feet.

• After players report, COVID cases will be “football injuries”, requiring guys be paid.

• Handling of loss of revenue is being discussed.

From NFL Now on @nflnetwork on the standoff between the NFL and NFLPA on the number of preseason games and why each side feels it has a say on the matter. Plus a cameo of sorts by @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/c3c3vTsaNV

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 3, 2020

I hope everyone has a safe 4th of July weekend! I’ll start it with one of my favorite performances from @BigGame81 Torry Holt. 158 yards and 3 TDs! Each unique with a #AllHands Snag, a toe tap in endzone score and of course the famous 67 yard spectacular catch! pic.twitter.com/XgvlBySs66

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) July 3, 2020

from Rocketing Covid-19 infections expose Trump’s callous claim pandemic is ‘handled’

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/03/politics/donald-trump-coronavirus-texas-arizona-florida/index.html

The United States, the world leader in Covid-19 infections and deaths, is reeling from an out-of-control resurgence of the virus that is racking up record numbers of 50,000-plus new infections each day now.
Texas, Florida and Arizona — Republican-run states that most aggressively embraced Trump’s impatient demands to get the economy open again — are heading into what one expert warned is a viral threat that is approaching “apocalyptic” levels.

Arif Hasan, after curfew Alarm clock@ArifHasanNFL
Good chance Vikings start 2 UDFA on the DL, along with 1 UDFA safety and 1 UDFA CB in nickel. 1 DL will likely be a 7th-rounder, too. The offense will star a UDFA WR and will likely play a 7th-rounder or UDFA as the 3rd WR (as well as an overachieving fullback)

Zach Hicks@ZachHicks2
Colts leading WR in 2019 was a UDFA. Their best secondary player and one of the top slot corners in the NFL was a UDFA. Their Pro Bowl TE was a UDFA.

I hate when people act like UDFA’s are nothing. Colts have had one make the team for 21 straight years

To understand why so many of us are so mad at @GovAbbott, it’s not just that he waited until *July 2* (in the face of indisputable evidence of a growing problem) to do this; it’s that, way back in April, he *overrode* local mask requirements—such as the one we had here in Austin. https://t.co/BtmfMLaqcI

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) July 2, 2020

In an effort to combat COVID-19, NFL teams are likely to bring fewer than the regular 90 players they ordinarily bring to training camp, per league sources. One source is predicting 80 per team, another 75, but no one is expecting 90. More coming up on https://t.co/rDZaVFhcDQ.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 2, 2020

Barring a change, Rams will open SoFi Stadium as road team https://t.co/XYBANZ3lbm

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) July 2, 2020

SOURCES:

Protesting in the time of COVID-19
link https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/protesting-in-the-time-of-covid-19-2020070120541

Will Protests Cause COVID-19 to Skyrocket? North Texas Doctors Weigh In.
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/george-floyd-protests-coronavirus-surge-dallas-11923439

Research Determines Protests Did Not Cause Spike In Coronavirus Cases
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/07/01/research-determines-protests-did-not-cause-spike-in-coronavirus-cases/#68cb22907dac

Black Lives Matter protests did not cause an uptick in covid-19 cases
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/06/30/black-lives-matter-protests-did-not-cause-an-uptick-in-covid-19-cases

Experts say bars, not protests, are driving COVID-19 spike
https://www.fox13news.com/video/734598

==

SOME QUOTATIONS FROM THOSE SOURCES:

What Minnesota’s Protests Are Revealing About Covid-19 Spread
<em.After George Floyd’s killing, experts warned that demonstrations could set off new waves of infections. But early testing in Minneapolis tells another story.
https://www.wired.com/story/what-minnesotas-protests-are-revealing-about-covid-19-spread/

Dr. Monique Tello, clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School

we now have data showing that the COVID-19 infection rate among protesters has been remarkably low….A recent study of contact tracing for new infections showed that most transmissions occurred between people interacting indoors for 15 minutes or more. Analysis of 28 COVID-19 “superspreading events” around the globe revealed commonalities: all were indoors, and involved people without masks talking face-to-face, singing, or sharing a meal.

“For the most part, we’re not going to see a big increase [in cases] because people are wearing masks and they’re being held outside,” said Dr. Eric Bing, professor of global health at Southern Methodist University.

Dr. Philip Huang, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services…it’s unlikely the protests alone caused Dallas County’s infections to skyrocket, Huang said.

, the National Bureau of Economic Research released a study that debunks the notion that the demonstrations would deliver a deluge of cases. Its authors found “no evidence that urban protests reignited COVID-19 case growth” in the 315 U.S. cities they surveyed. In part, this is because protesters were vigilant in wearing masks, the authors state.

Dr. Joseph Chang, chief medical officer at Parkland Health & Hospital System: ” When two people wear masks standing next to one another, the chance of transmissibility is less than 1%”.

Protests against systemic racism held in 300-plus U.S. cities following the death of George Floyd did not cause a significant increase in coronavirus infections, according to a team of economists who have published their findings in a 60-page paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research; these somewhat surprising results are supported by Covid-19 testing data in many populous cities where demonstrations were held.

Florida does extensive contact tracing to figure out where people who tested positive have been before they got sick. And the state’s health experts are finding a clear pattern — it’s not leading back to the outdoor protests; it’s leading to indoor places where young adults go to hang out and party.

Of the 3,200 people tested so far at the four popup sites across the metro, 1.8 percent have tested positive for Covid-19, says s Kristen Ehresmann, the Minnesota Department of Health director of infectious disease.. HealthPartners, one of the largest health care providers in Minnesota, also reported to the state that it had tested about 8,500 people who indicated that attendance at a mass gathering was the reason they wanted a test. Among them, 0.99 percent tested positive. These numbers have been one of the few pleasant surprises since the outbreak began, says Ehresmann. “Right now, with the data available to us, it appears there was very little transmission at protest events,” she says.