The thing to remember about NFL players is a lot of them are still young. Some just fresh out of college. They’re still kids by real-life standards. They’ve become millionaires and naturally would love a chance to spend some of that money having fun. The problem is this year could prove challenging for that desire. Something Chicago Bears players and others across the league just learned.
The NFL and NFLPA have reached an agreement on how to conduct medical policies towards prevent COVID-19 exposure. This includes one of the most critical topics. What the players do while away from the team facilities. Keep in mind that football rosters are substantially bigger than any other sport. So conducting business inside a bubble like the NBA just isn’t possible.
That means the league has to rely on the good judgment of players to be extra careful at home. One thing they tried to emphasize was what they deemed “High-risk conduct.” These are basically off-the-field activities they warn against doing at all given the strong likelihood of contamination. Sadly it happens to be mostly things athletes love to partake in.
Chicago Bears players will need to police each other
The coaches will do their part to relay this message as strongly as possible. However, it will fall to the players themselves to keep each other in line. This is where it becomes so valuable to have locker room leaders. Guys like Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Eddie Jackson, and Allen Robinson are sure to do their share of policing with anybody they feel might be a risk to skirt the rules for a little entertainment.
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Who might be the names to watch? Tarik Cohen is never shy about having a good time. The same goes for Roquan Smith who already put himself at risk earlier this year at a boat party. That is the kind of stuff the team must do everything in their power to prevent. A loss of either of those guys would be a major blow. Especially if they end up exposing somebody else.
Sure not going to clubs, bars, or even churches is tough. It also isn’t permanent. These guys can suck it up for one year.