All NFL team facilities are closed right now, with the league left to come up with a plan to reopen them. One prominent head coach is hoping to see that plan include one specific point.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin urged the NFL to open all facilities at once rather than a staggered opening, arguing that it would be beneficial for competitive reasons.
“I prescribe to the approach of competitive fairness within our game, and that is everybody gets an opportunity,” Tomlin said Saturday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “Our game is extremely competitive. It’s one of the things that make football at this level so attractive to our fans. I’m committed to preserving and protecting that, and so all teams getting an opportunity to start on the same footing is a core element of that.”
The NBA took the approach that essentially allows each team to decide when to open based on local guidelines. Tomlin does not want to see that in the NFL. We’ll see if his opinion is heeded as the league begins to draw up guidelines that will allow for these facilities to reopen.
