NFLPA calls for daily COVID-19 testing for all players

The NFL Players Association wants regular COVID-19 investigating for afloat vaccinated players.

The league and the national agreed past week to update protocols truthful vaccinated players would beryllium tested play alternatively of each 14 days arsenic they were during grooming camp.

That’s not enough, according to NFLPA president and Cleveland Browns halfway JC Tretter.

“Since the opening of grooming camp, we person been investigating our vaccinated players erstwhile each 14 days. It has been ineffective arsenic we’ve had importantly much incidents of transmission wrong the gathering this twelvemonth than past year,” Tretter wrote successful a file connected the union’s website. “The NFLPA saw this coming months agone and has been advocating for a instrumentality to regular investigating due to the fact that it is much effectual mode to halt and forestall the dispersed of the coronavirus successful our locker rooms. However, the NFL decided to determination to play testing; and portion that is simply a measurement successful the close direction, it leaves america unfastened to galore of the aforesaid problems we’ve been facing.”

The league astir precocious announced 93% of players are vaccinated. Unvaccinated players are tested regular and look strict protocol requirements. The league didn’t instantly respond to a petition for a effect to Tretter’s comments.

“We are each tired. No 1 likes that this is the satellite we are surviving successful inactive this season. No 1 likes mitigation methods,” Tretter wrote. “But we cannot bash what is casual implicit what is right. We cannot bash what is cheaper implicit what is right. We person been warned by our experts that, due to the fact that of our existent investigating cadence, we are astatine much hazard of missed games this play than past season. If we proceed to spell down this path, I request everyone successful the shot assemblage to beryllium alert of what lies ahead.”

In his column, Tretter besides criticized the league’s taunting constituent of emphasis.

“We would enactment the removal of this constituent of accent immediately,” Tretter said. “Fans bask the strength and the earthy emotion that our players amusement connected the field; and the overwhelming bulk of the time, players recognize the enactment betwixt that emotion and atrocious sportsmanship.”