NFL training camp is scheduled to begin this week. With less than two months to go until the season begins, here are some news and notes from around the league.
NFL Will Test Players During Training Camp
During the first two weeks of training camp, the NFL will test players daily according to a news release by league officials. This agreement will be a part of a broader COVID-19 safety protocol as camps begin.
The NFL and the Players’ Association will test daily for two weeks, and if the positive test rate is below 5%, the league will scale back the testing to every other day. If the positive test rates remain at or above the 5% threshold, then the league will continue to test daily until the rate falls below 5%.
Players, coaches, and team personal will have to test negative twice upon arriving at the team’s training facility before being allowed in. The test results are expected to come back with a 24-hour window according to the league.
NFL Offers No Preseason Games
In addition to the agreement for the daily testing during the training camp, the NFL also proposed to the NFLPA zero preseason contests. Normally a four-game slate, the league reduced the preseason to just two contests earlier in the offseason.
This offer is another step in the right direction for the league and its players, who have become vocal about providing a safe environment to return to. Notable players have been consistent with their desire to not play any preseason games this season and instead lengthen the acclimation period.
Earlier in the day, the NFL proposed one preseason game for each team taking place the week of August 27, but changed their stance as the day went on.
Is Brown Done for Good This Time?
Another chapter in the dramatic Antonio Brown football saga took place on Monday, with the electric wide receiver and former Pro Bowler announcing that he was retiring from the game, again.
In a series of tweets posted on his personal Twitter page, Brown asked, “Is it time to walk away I done everything in the game ?!!” followed by two other tweets alluding to him hanging up his cleats. This is the second time in the last two seasons that Brown has suggested walking away from the league.
Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders during the offseason last year with the Raiders making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. The stay in Oakland was short-lived, as Brown and the Raiders were in a disagreement about the helmet that Brown wanted to wear, causing tension between the two parties. The Raiders eventually granted Brown his desired release from the franchise.
Brown eventually signed with the New England Patriots, but again was caught in numerous off-the-field incidents. He played just one game with the Patriots prior to being cut for allegedly sending intimidating text messages to a former girlfriend and making unwanted advances toward her. The wideout also pleaded no contest last year to burglary and battery charges.
