NFL announces new punishments for games that are PPD for covid next season

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,276
View: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1418257495550738432

The NFL just informed clubs that if a game cannot be rescheduled during the 18-week season in 2021 due to a COVID outbreak among unvaccinated players, the team with the outbreak will FORFEIT and be credited with a loss for playoff seeding, per sources. Massive implications.
Here’s more from today’s memo, which also says the team responsible for a canceled game because of an outbreak among unvaccinated players/staff will be responsible for financial losses and subject to potential discipline from the commissioner. Wow.
View: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1418257949034745859


The league intends to play its entire 272-game schedule over 18 weeks (17 games per club). And this is key: "We do not anticipate adding a '19th week' to accommodate games that cannot be rescheduled within the current 18 weeks of the regular season." Play on time or don't play.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,243
It *sounds* massive, but were there any games in 2020 that "could not be rescheduled"?
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,243
I think the “unvaccinated” verbiage is the key.

NFL pulling no punches on the vaccine front. They’ve made it pretty clear that teams should be doing everything within their power to get players and coaches vaccinated.
Waiting for a coach to call a player to a small room with a doctor and saying "your arm or your playbook."
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,619
CT
It *sounds* massive, but were there any games in 2020 that "could not be rescheduled"?
IIRC, the Titans had an outbreak and it caused like a 10 team ripple effect along with teams playing on Fridays and Saturdays to catch up.

Not sure if those same measures are off the table this year and the offending team just punts the game.

Edit: sounds like the “reschedule 15 games for one team” is off the table this year.

View: https://twitter.com/tompelissero/status/1418259009044353024?s=21
 
Last edited:

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,243
IIRC, the Titans had an outbreak and it caused like a 10 team ripple effect along with teams playing in Fridays and Saturdays to catch up.

Not sure if those same measures are off the table this year and the offending team just punts the game.
That's the question: will they "employ" the ripple effect, which, when combined with bye weeks *might* let them re-schedule games within the 18-weeks.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,619
CT
The “financial losses” verbiage is also gigantic. If your team causes another team to punt on a home game, it sounds like the offending team will have to directly compensate the affected owner, which is easily in the tens of millions of dollars.
 

RedOctober3829

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
55,298
deep inside Guido territory
The “financial losses” verbiage is also gigantic. If your team causes another team to punt on a home game, it sounds like the offending team will have to directly compensate the affected owner, which is easily in the tens of millions of dollars.
The owners will lose money and neither team's players will get paid. I'd say there's going to be a lot of pressure now for the remaining unvaccinated players to get it. I can't believe the NFL has to even resort to this, but that's the society we live in.
 

JCizzle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2006
20,532
Wow, great move! Always pleasant when the NFL does something that's actually good.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,059
Hingham, MA
Pretty crazy that the NFL is going anti-MAGA. Good for them.

Edit to make this not V&N: as we all know, with the NFL it's all about the money. They'll do anything to protect their revenue. This is no different.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
To the extent the NFL is all about money, this would seem like an indication the national tide is really turning against anti-vaxxers.
 

SumnerH

Malt Liquor Picker
Dope
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
31,893
Alexandria, VA
You're going to punish the team that didn't fuck up?
You get the rest of the players to put pressure on their peers from the sides as well as it coming from above. It's the Full Metal Jacket theory:

Private Pyle has dishonored himself and dishonored the platoon! I have tried to help him, but I have failed! I have failed because you have not helped me! You have not given Private Pyle the proper motivation! So, from now on, whenever Private Pyle ****s up, I will not punish him, I will punish all of you! And the way I see it, ladies, you owe me for one jelly doughnut! Now, get on your faces!
[The rest of the platoon does push-ups while Pyle eats the donut]
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
Pretty crazy that the NFL is going anti-MAGA. Good for them.

Edit to make this not V&N: as we all know, with the NFL it's all about the money. They'll do anything to protect their revenue. This is no different.
Is it anti-MAGA or is it reacting to the fact that a lower percentage of black Americans are vaccinated compared to white and Hispanic? Since they likely make up a much larger portion of the NFL than MAGA folks, that seems to be the target.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,620
You get the rest of the players to put pressure on their peers from the sides as well as it coming from above. It's the Full Metal Jacket theory:

Private Pyle has dishonored himself and dishonored the platoon! I have tried to help him, but I have failed! I have failed because you have not helped me! You have not given Private Pyle the proper motivation! So, from now on, whenever Private Pyle ****s up, I will not punish him, I will punish all of you! And the way I see it, ladies, you owe me for one jelly doughnut! Now, get on your faces!
[The rest of the platoon does push-ups while Pyle eats the donut]

So Cole Beasley is going to kill Rog and then himself?
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,620
No less than Sally Jenkins gave Goodell props on last season's covid protocols in her post SB column. I'll dig it up and link to it.

He's been great on this from the beginning, no doubt.

Doesnt want to go back to his basement (where personally I thought he was at his best).
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,059
Hingham, MA
Is it anti-MAGA or is it reacting to the fact that a lower percentage of black Americans are vaccinated compared to white and Hispanic? Since they likely make up a much larger portion of the NFL than MAGA folks, that seems to be the target.
Good point. I didn't mean in terms of the policy itself, but in terms of how the national audience views the NFL. I think we've seen stats that show that well over 50% of NFL fans are MAGA (in other words, significantly higher than the general population), but I can't seem to find the study. PGA and NASCAR were way up there too IIRC.
 

Rico Guapo

New Member
Apr 24, 2009
2,150
New England's Rising Star

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,059
Hingham, MA
What happens if an outbreak occurs amongst players who HAVE been vaccinated? The vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing the spread of COVID 19 which I assume the NFL does not know since science is not their forte. Do they still bring the hammer down?
“I didn’t include science, no, sir"

Edit: the memo (BB LOL's) specifically says unvaccinated players / staff, so I would guess that if the outbreak occurs amongst vaccinated players / staff the team won't be penalized. But if there is a mix, not sure how you "prove" it was due to vaccinated players and not unvaccinated players. But, um, I'm sure the NFL is on top of it!
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,619
CT
What happens if an outbreak occurs amongst players who HAVE been vaccinated? The vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing the spread of COVID 19 which I assume the NFL does not know since science is not their forte. Do they still bring the hammer down?
Well, I think having an “outbreak,” to the extent that a team couldn’t field a team, amongst vaccinated players is extremely unlikely.

Yes, it may be possible that a player or a handful of players test positive, but the vaccine should be effective enough to prevent a majority of the team being unavailable.

Unvaccinated players would certainly be at risk, which is why the NFL is pushing so hard so get the vaccination rate as high as possible as training camps are about to start up.
 

loshjott

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2004
14,943
Silver Spring, MD
What happens if an outbreak occurs amongst players who HAVE been vaccinated? The vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing the spread of COVID 19 which I assume the NFL does not know since science is not their forte. Do they still bring the hammer down?
I would guess not. This whole thing is clearly being done to drive vaccines among players. It could get fuzzy if, say, there are 8 positives (an outbreak) and 3-4 are vaxxed.
 

Rico Guapo

New Member
Apr 24, 2009
2,150
New England's Rising Star
“I didn’t include science, no, sir"

Edit: the memo (BB LOL's) specifically says unvaccinated players / staff, so I would guess that if the outbreak occurs amongst vaccinated players / staff the team won't be penalized. But if there is a mix, not sure how you "prove" it was due to vaccinated players and not unvaccinated players. But, um, I'm sure the NFL is on top of it!
I would guess not. This whole thing is clearly being done to drive vaccines among players. It could get fuzzy if, say, there are 8 positives (an outbreak) and 3-4 are vaxxed.
Right, its unclear what happens and the NFL has a long and storied track record of fucking up issues like this.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,743
Rotten Apple
Popcorn out for the Right Wing media takes on this policy.

This is the most recent team by team stats I can find. 2 teams under 50% must have scared the league office.
View: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1416038890692091919

NFL player vaccination update:
- 13 teams are over the 85% threshold
- 73.8% of players have at least one shot
- 2 teams are below 50%
Most teams report to training camp in 11 days …
 

edoug

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
6,007
The NFL did the right thing with with little or no public pressure?
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,463
The NFL did the right thing with with little or no public pressure?
The NFL is never opposed to doing the right thing when it also coincides with the thing that helps them make the most money. Moving games was expensive and a pain in the ass, there is no downside for them in defacto forcing vaccination, and the upside is much more predictability in terms of games and revenue
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,243
Popcorn out for the Right Wing media takes on this policy.

This is the most recent team by team stats I can find. 2 teams under 50% must have scared the league office.
View: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1416038890692091919

NFL player vaccination update:
- 13 teams are over the 85% threshold
- 73.8% of players have at least one shot
- 2 teams are below 50%
Most teams report to training camp in 11 days …
I find "below 50%" to be shocking. But I guess that's that side of the bell curve. Among the 13 over 85% are probably a couple over 95%.
 

simplyeric

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 14, 2006
14,037
Richmond, VA
You're going to punish the team that didn't fuck up?
Yeah I feel like it’s going to be hard to enforce this. There’s no way the NFLPA will just say ‘ok’ to this, is there? Is it really possible to penalize players on team X for ‘conduct detrimental’ by a players on team Y? That seems to have a lot of problems.

You get the rest of the players to put pressure on their peers from the sides as well as it coming from above. It's the Full Metal Jacket theory:

Private Pyle has dishonored himself and dishonored the platoon! I have tried to help him, but I have failed! I have failed because you have not helped me! You have not given Private Pyle the proper motivation! So, from now on, whenever Private Pyle ****s up, I will not punish him, I will punish all of you! And the way I see it, ladies, you owe me for one jelly doughnut! Now, get on your faces!
[The rest of the platoon does push-ups while Pyle eats the donut]
That’s the theory, obviously. I’m just not sure it’s valid or enforceable. if some second string tackle gets docked a week’s pay (or two, if there’s a 10-day quarantine) because Beasley is an asshole, how’s that supposed to work?

I’m all for the NFL being proactive about it. but they’re basically saying they either don’t have the power or the courage to mandate it by declaring potential stars ineligible, so they’re just going to try to fuck with everyone.

I hope it’s effective, but it’s bully-cowardly to go about it in this roundabout way.
 

singaporesoxfan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2004
11,882
Washington, DC
Popcorn out for the Right Wing media takes on this policy.

This is the most recent team by team stats I can find. 2 teams under 50% must have scared the league office.
View: https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1416038890692091919

NFL player vaccination update:
- 13 teams are over the 85% threshold
- 73.8% of players have at least one shot
- 2 teams are below 50%
Most teams report to training camp in 11 days …
IIRC the two teams are Washington and Indianapolis
 

singaporesoxfan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2004
11,882
Washington, DC
What happens if an outbreak occurs amongst players who HAVE been vaccinated? The vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing the spread of COVID 19 which I assume the NFL does not know since science is not their forte. Do they still bring the hammer down?
I’m sure the NFL knows that breakthrough cases exist. But they specifically said unvaccinated because the goal is to punish teams who do the wrong thing, not just recover losses from postponed games