The NFL reacted Tuesday night to the NFLPAs counterproposal on coronavirus-related resuming procedures, however a source informed ESPN that some major concerns stay unsolved, including a conflict over whether COVID-19 must be classified as a “non-football injury.”
According to sources, the NFLPA has made a number of demands of the league, including day-to-day COVID-19 testing, the removal of all preseason video games, other and financial settlement for gamers who pull out of playing for COVID-related factors and an arrangement that would keep the 2021 wage cap from going down due to lost 2020 earnings.
One source stated Wednesday that a significant sticking point is that the leagues proposition so far would classify COVID-19 as a non-football injury. The gamers are pressing back on that, because when a team places a gamer on the non-football injury list, it is not required to pay that gamer.
Hypothetically, if a player contracts the virus during a game or a practice and is positioned on the NFI list as an outcome, his team would have the right not to pay him during his absence. Clearly, the NFLPA is fighting to prevent such a scenario.
Hovering over the discussions is the spike in coronavirus cases in states like Texas, Arizona and California, and the increasing possibility that those states may soon be carrying out shutdown provisions that would limit large gatherings. Should that happen, its possible teams in those states wouldnt have the ability to hold training school.
An earlier NFL-NFLPA contract stipulates that teams this year are required to hold training camps at their own team facilities, and that if any team can not open its center, no team will be permitted to open its center. For that reason, despite the fact that the league has insisted it prepares to start training camps and the regular season on time, there stays a possibility that external circumstances could force a delay to the start of either or both.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, there were no more official talks set up in between the NFL and the NFLPA, though its anticipated they will speak once again quickly. The NFLPA was holding an internal planning call Wednesday afternoon to discuss the NFLs newest proposal, and the union likewise was holding a formerly arranged call with player representatives later Wednesday afternoon.
Info from ESPNs Jeremy Fowler was used in this report.
