The idea of holding the NFL playoffs in a bubble is one that has been discussed more as positive coronavirus cases keep popping up, but there has been no indication that the league is seriously considering it.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills, and executive vice president of football operations Trey Vincent took part in a conference call on Tuesday that touched on the subject of a bubble playoff environment. As of now, there is not much support for the idea. One reason is that officials believe an outbreak inside a bubble would be disastrous. Another is that they fear what the psychological ramifications would be if players have to be away from their families for the holidays.
From @gmfb on the NFL having no current plans for a bubble, as the league (and NFLPA, for that matter) believes it wouldn't help combat the spread of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/bIbKe6A4hC
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 14, 2020
The NBA and NHL held their entire resumed seasons at bubble locations, and the plan was highly successful. However, the NFL Players Association would still need a lot of convincing, which is one of the main reasons the NFL is trending toward leaving things the way they are.
There’s still a long way to go before the postseason, so the stance on bubbles could obviously change at some point. For now, it seems like a long shot.
