Locker Rooms Are Petri Dishes. Can the N.F.L. Clean Up Before Training Camp? - The New York Times

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In this most unusual off-season roiled by the coronavirus pandemic, the N.F.L. has adapted by conducting business (mostly) as usual. Free agency, the college draft, rookie camp and voluntary workouts were all held on time, albeit remotely instead of in person.

The league may have a harder time sticking to its plan to open training camps at their usual time in late July. While the N.F.L. and the N.F.L. Players Association have created guidelines that let coaches and team staff return to their offices, they have yet to figure out how several thousand players can attend training camps safely even as confirmations of infected players emerge.

This week, the agent for Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott confirmed that his client had tested positive for the virus. Other members of the Cowboys and players for the Houston Texans have also reportedly tested positive.

Though the league in early June expanded on an earlier memo detailing plans to fully reopen team facilities, at least one coach, John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens, called them impossible to follow. The players’ union on Monday told agents there were still no guidelines established for testing protocols or rules on distancing and equipment for players’ mandatory return to training camps, according to a source who participated and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The lack of guidance on the swift-approaching return has left many in football unsure about safety in an environment that requires contact on nearly every play and cramped quarters in locker rooms.

“The disease is airborne, so it can come from anywhere, and you have to keep people away from each other, but the game is literally sweating, bleeding, spitting on each other all the time,” said D.J. Reader, a nose tackle who signed a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals this off-season. “Everyone wants to play, but nobody has any answers.”

The union declined to comment about the status of negotiations with the league on the next round of guidelines. But the rules for allowing coaches and staff to work in team facilities, which the league released in May and expanded upon last week, are complicated enough. Employees must be divided into three tiers, each with a different level of access to locker rooms, weight rooms and other places. Teams must follow guidelines for providing meals and medical services, cleaning their facilities and testing employees. Coaches have been slow to return to their offices.

Last week, the union’s president, J.C. Tretter, told players they should listen to the union for guidance, a suggestion that coaches, doctors and team staff may be providing conflicting information.

The guidelines are bound to become more complicated when 90 players for each team show up for training camp and locker rooms are filled to capacity. “I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be six-feet spaced,” Harbaugh said in an interview with a Baltimore radio station. “Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day? These are things the league and the P.A. needs to get a handle on and needs to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13-hour day in training camp that they’re giving us and get our work done.”

“I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be six-feet spaced,” John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens coach, said in an interview. Credit...Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The league’s goal of opening training camps on time has become more complex because of the surge in Covid-19 virus infections in Arizona, Florida, Texas and other states where N.F.L. teams are based. The league has said that it will open all training camps simultaneously to preserve competitive balance, and that teams must train in their own facilities, preventing any from moving camps to states where infection rates are lower.

The publicly confirmed cases of coronavirus in the league are thought to have been transmitted outside N.F.L. facilities. In March, New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton was the first known member of the N.F.L. community infected, after attending a horse race in Arkansas. In April, Von Miller, the Denver Broncos linebacker, said he had also tested positive for the virus.

On Monday, Roger Goodell, the league commissioner, told ESPN that some players were bound to test positive. “The issue is, can we obviously prevent as many of those from happening, but treat them quickly, isolate them and prevent them from directly impacting our player personnel?”

If college football is any guide, the number of infections may surge when N.F.L. players report to camp. Last week, the University of Houston suspended voluntary workouts after six players tested positive for the virus. Athletes at Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Iowa State, Marshall and Oklahoma State have also tested positive.

The Coronavirus Outbreak

• Frequently Asked Questions and Advice

  Updated June 16, 2020

  • What is pandemic paid leave?

    The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

  • Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

    So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

  • What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

    Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

  • How does blood type influence coronavirus?

    A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

  • How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

    The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

  • Will protests set off a second viral wave of coronavirus?

    Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

  • My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

    States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

  • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

    Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

  • How can I protect myself while flying?

    If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

  • How do I take my temperature?

    Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.

  • Should I wear a mask?

    The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

  • What should I do if I feel sick?

    If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

  • How do I get tested?

    If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

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The N.F.L. and the union agreed in March to jointly develop procedures for the off-season, and their partnership has been largely cooperative. But most of the guidelines they have developed have applied to nonunion members, like coaches and front office staff, reporting to facilities. Guidelines for players largely pertained to how they worked at home. Finding a way to reduce the risk of infection for the players will be harder because of the sheer volume of people who will have to share many common spaces, like locker rooms and weight rooms.

“It’s a petri dish, football locker rooms,” said James Acho, a lawyer who has represented retired N.F.L. players in health disputes with the league. “These guys are going to be on top of each other. It’s almost humanly impossible to physically distance.”

Catapult, a company that uses GPS and radio frequency technology to track the movement of players on the field, developed new software that can calculate how close players stand near each other and for how long. Jamie Hepner, who is in charge of the football performance division at the company, said the technology can calculate the proximity between players down to a single foot. It is available to the 19 N.F.L. teams that use Catapult.

“There are certain things in football that are what they are, like the distance between the center and the guard,” Hepner said. But “if you have fewer positive cases, you’ll see fewer guys out of practice.”

The players’ union held a conference call for agents on Monday, but according to a number of players and agents on the call, the union provided only a handful of training camp guidelines that are under consideration. One of those ideas is to test players for the coronavirus about three times a week and to isolate players who test positive, according to NFL.com.

Forced to remain at home, many players who have signed new contracts have been unable to take physicals and thus have not received their signing bonuses. (One exception is Tom Brady, who found a doctor to give him a physical in March.) At the same time, some players have pre-existing conditions or are at higher risk for others, like sleep apnea and obesity, that make them vulnerable to contracting Covid-19. Some players may also engage in risky behavior, such as not wearing a face mask.

“I don’t think we’re immune” from getting the virus, Reader said. “All of us can get sick.”

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