DeMarcus Lawrence faces a tough decision. He wants to show up to the Dallas Cowboys training camp on July 28, but he wants to make sure he can stay safe so he can keep his family safe.
His wife, Sasha, is pregnant and due in October, and he is unsure whether it will be wise to show up given the coronavirus pandemic.
“I take it once at a time, talk with my team and try to understand as much detail as possible before I make a decision and burn it,” Lawrence told ESPN.com. “Shoot, I like to ride with my brothers and play football. When I have to take that off, it’s hard and I don’t want to make a decision like that. But I also have to make sure I take care of it. my family. Family is No. 1. After the soccer game is over, that’s the only thing I have to rely on, so I have to take care of them. “
The NFL and the NFL Players Association have been working on protocols to potentially mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Lawrence said he had heard that there might be a possibility of being isolated from his family during the camp.
“You can incarcerate the body, but you cannot incarcerate the spirit. It is your choice of freedom,” Lawrence said. “I feel like I’m fine. I know my wife is a strong woman. She always takes a step forward for our family if we are to make this sacrifice in order to ensure that our family strives and continues to survive. I Hell no. But sometimes you have to roll with the punches, get up, stay up, and do whatever you have to do to make things happen. “
The league and the players’ association did not accept the withdrawal possibilities. Lawrence is entering the second year of a five-year, $ 105 million contract that included a $ 25 million signing bonus. Lawrence said that if he did not show up for camp, he would be required to refund part of the bonus.
“It’s that kind of thing that makes you think, ‘Dude, are we pawns? Is my life just a game, “said Lawrence. “I know I don’t have forever to play, but at the end of the day come on, are you just gonna throw me because you got dollar signs on your face?”
Before fully committing to showing up to camp, Lawrence, who missed the birth of his son in 2014 because of the rookie minicamp, said he would like to know the life situation, how the players would be tested and to what frequency the players would be tested.
“But my number one concern is that I will be able to see my family and be there for the birth of my daughter?” Said Lawrence. “If I can’t be, we’re really going to have to take some important and difficult considerations about this season because I don’t miss the birth of another child.”
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