Ravens' John Harbaugh: 'Humanly Impossible' to Follow NFL Reopening Guidelines

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has some harsh words for the NFL in the wake of the league's latest memo outlining how franchises should continue going about reopening their facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore, Harbaugh called the guidelines "humanly impossible" to follow, per Aaron Kasinitz of PennLive.com: 

Last Sunday the NFL and NFL Players Association sent each team instructions for how to fully open facilities up to players. Previously teams were only permitted to have no more than 75 employees total at their offices at one time, while coaches were initially restricted from entering the building and only players receiving medical treatment could access their team's campus. 

The memo, written by Roger Goodell with input from the NFLPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duke's Infection Control Network and a host of other health officials, called for the requirement of players to wear masks within facilities, remain six feet apart and undergo daily screening before entrance is permitted to team facilities, among other regulations.

Harbaugh had trouble imagining how this would play out in practice, specifically noting players won't stay six feet apart in huddles and wondering if athletes can only shower one at a time. 

"These are things the league and the PA needs to get a handle on," Harbaugh said. 

Players are not currently required to return to their facilities and there is no timetable in place for such a direction by the league. Training camps, however, are still a go for late July with the preseason scheduled to begin on August 6—though the number of exhibition games this season is currently under review. 

In the meantime, Goodell's memo and the regulations he included are subject to change as new information becomes available. 

Harbaugh is hoping that's the case as he continues to work through the league's latest recommendations. 

"Good people, smart people are involved in this," Harbaugh said. "But the way I'm reading these memos right now, you throw your hands up and you go, 'What the heck?'"