NFL Reportedly Expected to Spend $75M on COVID-19 Tests

The NFL will reportedly spend around $75 million on COVID-19 testing during the 2020 season. 

Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reported the NFL has agreed to provide daily testing for at least two weeks after players report to camp. The league had been pushing for testing every other day. Among the other agreed-upon stipulations include contact tracing and several distancing measurements to help ensure the safety of players and staff.

The NFL and its players have been in contentious negotiations regarding safety over the last few weeks. Despite the league having four months to put together safety protocols, ownership and players waited until the last possible second, leading to a rushed process that threatens training camp starting on time.

Several players took to social media earlier this week to express their displeasure with the NFL's handling of the virus and player safety. 

The NFL has acquiesced to a number of player concerns, including the elimination of preseason games, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Players had been pushing to go without preseason games in 2020 over safety concerns and because they missed all offseason workouts due to the virus.

The fact that the NFL does not have protocols in place already, despite essentially every other major professional sports league having done so and having the benefit of a full offseason to discuss details, speaks poorly on management on both sides. 

Given the number of players, the contact nature of the sport and the NFL's plan to seemingly have teams travel via air and stay in hotels, it would stand to reason the league would need the most comprehensive plan of any major sports league. 

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.