And the NCAA, which began authorizing voluntary athletics in all Division I sports this month, approved a plan for summer sports and pre-season training for the upcoming Wednesday. 2020 college football season, slated to begin on August 29.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, told CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Unless the players are essentially in a bubble - isolated from the community and have them tested almost every day - it would be very difficult to see how football can be played this fall. If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the season of predictable flu, football may not happen this year. "
Several Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans players tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Neither player was in the team facilities, and both teams followed appropriate health protocols, the report said.
When asked how the positive tests affect planning for the league in terms of the start of training camps and the season ahead, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN on Monday: "We expect to have positive tests. This is part of the increase in testing that we are going to be going through and this is something that we just want to make sure our protocols are working and so far. We are seeing very positive feedback in the sense that we make sure to react quickly, to protect staff who might be affected by this and others who may be in contact with them. "
In a memo in May, Goodell provided protocols for a gradual reopening of the team's facilities, starting with a limited number of employees and then moving on to the players. The league extended the reopening earlier this month to allow coaches to return to training facilities.
In May, the NFL canceled all scheduled international games due to the pandemic, moving them to the United States instead. The league previously planned to play four games in London and one game in Mexico City.
If the NFL and college football seasons can end, the Super Bowl will be played on February 7 in Tampa, Florida. The National College Football Playoff Championship game takes place on January 11 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
