Billy Buffalo
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
- 1,699
- 0
Getty Images
The NFL is still planning to have teams report to training camp as scheduled on July 28.
But if you’re a Buffalo Bill, for instance, you’d probably be safer giving yourself a head start getting there.
As noted by Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com, 60 of the 88 players on the Bills roster at the moment are from places which otherwise can’t travel into New York without a lengthy quarantine.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just announced that travelers from 16 states have to quarantine for 14 days before entering the state.
Those states, the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic at the moment, are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
The Giants and Jets would ostensibly be subject to the rule as well, since they train in New Jersey and that state has followed the same guidance for travelers, and the locations and sheer number of states on the list would impact practically every roster in the league.
The policy allows for exceptions, including for business travel, listing truckers as an example.
“Individuals traveling for business should still consider postponing travel to the extent possible,” it reads. “Individuals are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms upon return from any travel to an impacted state, and employers should consider screening employees for symptoms before permitting them to return to work.”
So while players technically can show up, the policy was written because going from places in the middle of an outbreak to a place that isn’t is a good way to create a new outbreak.
It’s also another problem the NFL has to address, as the clock ticks toward their anticipated gatherings, and the inevitable positive tests that follow.