JJ Watt Posts What NFL Players 'Know and Don't Know' About COVID-19 Guidelines

Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt posted a tweet Thursday saying players want to play the 2020 NFL season but said the league's communication has been lacking, especially around protocols set for how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NFL and NFLPA have been in negotiations regarding safety measures but have not come to terms on an agreement, despite training camp being less than two weeks away. Rookies are scheduled to report to camp July 18. 

The league attempted to move forward with what amounted to a status-quo offseason, aside from the cancellation of mandatory workouts. However, the United States' failure to contain COVID-19 has turned a normal 2020 season into an impossibility. 

Given the NFL had four months to prepare, the league is probably due some level of criticism for not having a fully fledged plan hashed out by now. The NBA, NHL and MLB were all able to hash out safety protocols and collective bargaining issues with their players several weeks ago.

Management at both the league and union side seemingly bet on the pandemic subsiding enough to hold a mostly normal 2020 season by September—a wager that has backfired and left the two sides scrambling. The lack of clear protocols being in place this close to camp could put players at greater danger of contracting and spreading the virus to their teammates and others.