Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The Indianapolis Colts general manager drops a truth bomb on the coronavirus doubters
Even with the coronavirus pandemic still ravaging the United States, the NFL is going forward with training camps as planned, albeit much differently than years past. Players won’t be allowed to enter the facility unless they post two negative COVID-19 tests in order to prevent a potential outbreak.
Upon the Indianapolis Colts opening up their summer training program, general manager Chris Ballard spoke to the media on Wednesday, and he dropped a truth bomb on anti-maskers and coronavirus doubters. To be more specific, Ballard told those individuals to “put a damn mask on” and to stop being selfish.
Ballard pleads to NFL fans as COVID-19 cases surge across the nation
Ballard stresses that everyone inside the Colts facilities will be wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus, even if they post consecutive negative tests. In this current climate, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
The NFL is behind the magic eight ball in terms of effectively running a full season in 2020. The NBA just posted zero positive test results in back-to-back weeks while inside the Walt Disney World bubble. The NHL also posted zero COVID-19 diagnoses in the final week of training camp before moving up to the Edmonton and Toronto bubbles. So far, the enclosed environments have proven effective.
Meanwhile, the NFL will have to avoid the missteps of MLB, considering they’re the only leagues in the country not implementing a bubble. This past weekend, the Miami Marlins had a handful of players test positive for the virus. Even with that rather alarming number, the league allowed the players to make a decision on whether they should play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. They opted to play, and as of this writing, 16 players and two coaches in the organization have contracted COVID-19, and the team’s season is on pause until this Monday the earliest.
Given how much fans could use NFL to escape the harsh realities around the world, the league is at a disadvantage, especially since it’s a physical, close-contact sport without a bubbled environment. Ballard wants to ensure that a season is played in full, but they need the help of all of us to ensure that happens.
Wear a mask whenever you’re in public. The more we do that, the likelier we are to eventually curb the spread of COVID-19.