Report: NFLPA Expresses Concern with Training Camps in 'Hot Spot' Cities

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to run rampant in various parts of the United States, the NFL Players Association has expressed concern about certain teams holding training camps in their respective cities later this month.

"We have one question that encapsulates it all: Does it make sense for the NFL to open up training camps in 'hot spot' cities right now?" a "person familiar with the NFLPA's views" told Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

A high-ranking team official offered similar concerns.

"We all want to play," that person told Maske. "We all want to make this work. But there are some big issues in some places of the country. That can't be ignored."

In Philadelphia, for instance, the Eagles will not be permitted to have fans in attendance for the entirety of the 2020 season due to a city order. 

The Miami Dolphins are also preparing for a potential interruption in their plans as coronavirus cases spike in Florida, according to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. 

"The Dolphins have communicated with their players that 'everything is up in the air,' according to a source familiar with the situation, and that the team 'could see things getting pushed back,'" Beasley reported.

Miami's training camp is set to start on July 28, but another source told Beasley "that could literally pivot on a dime. I think we get a hard answer this week."

It's also unclear how comfortable players are with reporting to training camps amid the pandemic. The NFLPA has already expressed a desire to eliminate any preseason games this year:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Donovan Smith—whose first child is due in three weeks—posted on Instagram Friday that he was concerned with starting the league back up this month. 

"The unfortunate events of the COVID-19 pandemic have put a halt to a lot of things. Football is not one. To continue discussing the many UNKNOWNS do not give me the comfort. Risking my health as well as my family's health does not seem like a risk worth taking.

"... How can a sport that requires physical contact on every snap and transferral of all types of bodily fluid EVERY SINGLE PLAY practice safe social distancing? How can I make sure that I don't bring COVID-19 back to my household? Yes, we can get tested everyday, but if it takes 24 hours to get my results, how can I know each day that I am not spreading this virus or contracting it?"

Those are questions the NFL and the NFLPA will continue to wrestle with as the league tries to keep its schedule on track.