Some believe that the country is attempting to reopen its economy too quickly after lengthy stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We haven't, by any means, defeated the virus. Of course, there is no guarantee that we will anytime soon. So the country has decided to move forward.
Sure, there are precautions in place. There are regulations for businesses that have reopened. All of those guidelines can help slow the spread of COVID-19, but the numbers continue to grow in many states.
One of those states is Texas.
On Monday, it was reported by NFL Network that several members of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans have tested positive for COVID-19 as Texas saw a jump in reported cases.
Several #Cowboys players & several #Texans players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, sources tell me & @TomPelissero. None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities. The teams followed proper health protocols.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 15, 2020
It was later reported that among those who tested positive was Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott.
"Zeke Elliott is feeling fine, and from what I understand, the Texans players also are feeling fine and do not appear to be sick," Rapoport said on NFL Network.
Josina Anderson, formerly of ESPN, spoke with Richard Sherman about the various precautions in place. It sounds like the San Francisco 49ers cornerback doesn't believe it is enough, but feels life has to move forward anyway.
"In general, I think we just need to go out there as best we can [and] live life," Sherman told Anderson. "I'm just not sure that we can shield players from something that seems inevitable.
"Just think about how these protocols just keep raising more questions. Are we testing the bus drivers and their families, the flight attendants [and] the pilots, the hotel staff, the stadium staff, the refs, the refs families, the people that hold the yard-markers [three times] a week, you see how deep this goes with contact-tracing?
"Are you going to fly people in groups of 15 on the plane? Are the young guys not gonna go out all year? I mean, this is crazy. There is no way to implement all of these protocols 1000% safely and make it completely foolproof. We just have to do the best we can carefully and respectfully."
Meanwhile, amid a report today that #Cowboys & #Texans players tested positive for CoVID19 & ongoing NFL measures, #49ers CB Richard Sherman said to me: "In general I think we just need to go out there as best we can & live life. I'm just not sure that we can shield....[Cont.]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020
[Richard Sherman cont to me] "...players from something that seems inevitable. Just think about how these protocols just keep raising more questions. Are we testing the bus drivers and their families, the flight attendants & the pilots, the hotel staff, the stadium staff...[Cont]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020
[Sherman Cont.] "...the refs, the refs families, the people that hold the yard-markers 3x a week, you see how deep this goes with contact-tracing? Are you going to fly people in groups of 15 on the plane? Are the young guys not gonna go out all year? I mean this is crazy...[Cont]
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020
4/4 [Richard Sherman cont to me] "....There is no way to implement all of these protocols 1000% safely and make it completely foolproof. We just have to do the best we can carefully and respectfully." #NFL #CoVID19
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 15, 2020
Sherman spoke with reporters last week and was asked about any concerns from players about returning to football too soon.
"There hasn't been many people who relayed any true concerns about health risks," Sherman responded. "The concerns and the questions usually are in regards to when are we coming back? Are we coming back for [training camp]? What is the exact date? And all those things, right now, are really fluid.
"Obviously, the NFL put out the testing protocols that are going to be in place, and obviously how we're going to maneuver going forward. But I think, just like a lot of the experts, who dealt with this novel virus, and things have changed day by day ... as science improves, as the information and knowledge improve about the virus, and about how to best combat it and stay safe.
"At the end of the day, football is football. No matter how much you keep 90 guys away from each other, they'll run into each other. They'll play football, at some point or another. It will be what it's going to be."