NFL's Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero, and NFL Network informer Ian Rapoport reported that the NFL Players Association told its players on Tuesday that there will be no games Preseason games in 2020.
The union leadership shared this information with its players during a group call one day after the league proposed a list for one match for the federation, then followed it later in the day with a narrow bid that included no pre-season matches. NFL and NFLPA were previously divided on the list of pre-season, and the league maintained the desire to play half of the typical four-season schedule before agreeing this week.
The NFL also told its members that it still pays longer for players to physically adapt to the requirements of a professional soccer field, and lists are expected to be 80 players per team. The National Football Association is still signing a list of 80 men for a training camp, according to Pelissero, and although there is debate about giving teams an option to split the list (i.e. 80 workers and 10 pending), the association has told players that it wants all teams to follow a rule.
The federation said it has a general agreement with the league on high-risk prospects and the possibility of withdrawal, and another general agreement on compensation in matches lost due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The main economy still needs to be divided between the two sides, and details of general agreements must also be finalized, but the two sides have agreed on the concept.
Players flocked to social media over the weekend to publicly press the NFL to take their desires seriously in health and safety protocol discussions, which included the desire to complete August without any preseason games. While ensuring this appears to be almost guaranteed, both sides can move on to the next set of issues as they aim to lay the groundwork for operations at this unprecedented time.
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