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Doctor and former football player warns it is not safe for the NFL to start the season

Sports teams and athletes are wondering how to start their season safely during a pandemic that has infected more than 4.3 million people and killed nearly 150,000 people across the country. Rolle suggests that the sport postpone or cancel the season to allow medical professionals and officials to get a feel for the situation before people start playing again or return to games.

“I don’t think it’s safe to come back right now,” Rolle said. “I think the NFL should delay or cancel the sport this year to allow the wonderful women and men on the front lines to really get ahead of this pandemic and ensure that everyone can safely return to the sport.”

Rolle recognized that football is part of the fabric of the United States and plays an important role in communities. “If the NFL is to be part of the community, I think they have to be responsible and think about what is really going on in the community right now. A pandemic is occurring and infection rates are rising and hospitalizations are rising. course, PPE in high demand. “

He told CNN he wanted to see the league “be a leader and make the safety of players and their families a priority.”

To get back to football safely, Rolle said, Covid cases are expected to see a dramatic decrease in the country. He noted that while some states appear to have got the virus under control, others are still seen as hot spots. And that doesn’t allow for a safe return to the season, especially when players are forced to be nearby as part of their training and daily matches.

“When you have states that are hot beds and players come from those places, I think it’s very difficult to say ‘I want to socialize from a distance’ in a sport that is inherently close,” Rolle explained. There is a “need to be cohesive in the locker room and in caucuses and close passages. It is very difficult,” he added.

He also said the nature of the game is close contact, which means problems when sports with less contact, like baseball, have already shown how quickly the virus can spread.

“It’s actually encouraged to be physical. It’s encouraged to have hand fights at the line of scrimmage to tackle a player,” Rolle said. “And as a football player, if you think you’re trying to protect yourself in the middle of a game that counts, one step too slow, one step too late, that’s the touchdown. It’s a win versus a loss. “

“These players already have a lot of pressure on them and add the added burden of thinking that they will be safe and pass this virus on to families and loved ones,” he said.

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