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Dr. Anthony Fauci says football teams would need to emulate plans by the NBA and MLS for a "bubble" format or consider not playing in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key member of the White House task force on the virus. He told CNN that football players would need to be isolated from others and tested regularly.

"Unless players are essentially in a bubble -- insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day -- it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci said. "If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."

“Dr. Fauci has identified the important health and safety issues we and the NFL Players Association, together with our joint medical advisors, are addressing to mitigate the health risk to players, coaches and other essential personnel. We are developing a comprehensive and rapid-result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a shared responsibility from everyone inside our football ecosystem. This is based on the collective guidance of the public health officials, including the White House task force, the CDC, infectious disease experts, and other sports leagues.

“Make no mistake, this is no easy task. We will make adjustments as necessary to meet the public health environment as we prepare to play the 2020 season as scheduled with increased protocols and safety measures for all players, personnel and attendees. We will be flexible and adaptable in this environment to adjust to the virus as needed.”

InvincibleCakeEater wrote: ↑

July 3 20, 9:45 am

Looks like the Redskins changing their name is pretty much official. Good riddance.

A Los Angeles Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured quarterback Tyrod Taylor's lung just before kickoff Sunday while trying to administer a pain-killing injection to the quarterback's cracked ribs, league and team sources told ESPN.

That is the reason Taylor did not start Sunday and rookie quarterback Justin Herbert unexpectedly did against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, in an arrangement that is likely to continue Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and quite possibly beyond.