Like Major League Baseball, the NFL is not planning to hold games in a bubble environment when the 2020 season begins. That has led to some concern that a potential coronavirus outbreak could put a stop to the football season after it begins, but Richard Sherman does not see that happening.
With two MLB games having been canceled on Monday due to a COVID-19 outbreak with the Miami Marlins, Sherman was asked on an Instagram Live interview with Pro Football Focus if he thinks there’s a scenario where the NFL would halt play. The San Francisco 49ers star said he does not believe shutting the season down will be an option.
“I don’t see the league saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to shut down if 10 people get it, 15 people get it, 50 people get it,’” Sherman said, as transcribed by Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “I see them saying, ‘Hey, remove those people, replace them with new people and continue the game.’”
Sherman said he could envision a situation where a team has to forfeit a game, but he doesn’t think that would result in the season being halted or canceled.
“If half a team gets it, forfeit the game, and next game keep moving forward. That’s the way I see them finishing (the season),” he said. “If a team has an outbreak, they’ll forfeit the game, quarantine those people — unless they can replace these people in the time between they (test positive) and the game.”
Sherman added that he thinks the 2020 season “isn’t going to be the prettiest football,” as he predicts a lot of turnovers and sloppy play due to uncertain practice regulations. Despite all that, he believes the NFL train will keep on rolling.
There are some policies the NFL has already implemented that Sherman has openly mocked. He clearly feels there is a lot of hypocrisy with the way the league is handling things.
