JJ Watt speaks out against ‘Thursday Night Football’ change
Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) warms up before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL is hoping to make “Thursday Night Football” games subject to flex scheduling next season, and JJ Watt is among a growing list of people who think the change would be a terrible idea.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and most team owners believe that making “Thursday Night Football” games subject to flex scheduling the way “Sunday Night Football” is would allow the league to swap out less exciting matchups on Thursday nights to more enticing ones. Watt took to Twitter on Tuesday with two main reasons why he is opposed to the change.
Flexing games from Sunday to Thursday is a terrible idea for two main reasons:
1) Player Safety
You can’t make this decision and also preach that player safety is a priority.
2) Fans
People spending hard earned money to see their team play. Who’s paying to change their plans?
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 29, 2023
Players have long taken issue with “Thursday Night Football” because of the short recovery time between games, which can increase their chances of injury and lead to a lower-quality product. The second point Watt made was about a new potential issue.
Most fans purchase tickets for a game well in advance. Some of them also make travel arrangements and other changes in their personal lives to allow them to attend. With “Sunday Night Football” flex scheduling, the games are at least flexed to a slot later in the same day. If a Sunday game is flexed to a Thursday, many fans will either have to scramble to change their plans or sell their tickets on the secondary market.
One NFL owner unloaded on the potential “Thursday Night Football” change this week. The NFL would need 24 owners to vote in favor of the rule, but they got 22 votes on Tuesday. Goodell will have another chance to push the change through in May.
