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If there is a 2020 NFL season, it’s going to look a lot different than what we’re used to.
With two months away from the start of the regular season, the NFL and NFLPA continue to hammer out the details for how football will be conducted amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to NFL Network Tom Pelissero, the league has implemented several gameday protocol changes for the 2020 season, which includes the banning of media in postgame locker rooms, as well as on-field fan seating now being prohibited.
The ban on postgame jersey exchanges was included in NFL-NFLPA game-day protocols that clubs received last night. Other notable changes for 2020:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 9, 2020
- On-field fan seating is prohibited.
- Both teams must travel to the stadium via bus.
- Media will be banned from the locker room. https://t.co/WizWrySFvU
It does seem a little silly that postgame jersey swaps are being banned but it’s fine for the players to have full contact with each other during said games.
allowing a 60-minute full contact football game but saying you’re taking precautions because you ban handshakes and jersey swaps is like eating 34 wings and then eating 2 pieces of celery and saying it was a healthy meal because you ate vegetables https://t.co/yOIlBKY4iu
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) July 9, 2020
But for the most part, these are changes that needed to be made to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if there are games in 2020.
And I’m sure players will appreciate not having media in the postgame locker rooms this year.