Lorenzo Alexander is retired from the Bills (for now), but remains on the executive board of the NFL Players Association, and he says players – as well as coaches and other staff – must be tested for COVID. 19 every day if the season is going to be played safe.
Echoing NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith’s call for daily tests, Alexander told Pat McAfee that medical experts believe daily tests are necessary.
“This is what our jointly appointed medical committee recommended and this is what we are trying to follow,” Alexander said, via the Buffalo News. “It’s more than just the player. It’s the coaches, it’s the front office, the medical staff, the trainers, the equipment staff. We need to make sure that we are tested daily and that we come home every day. We are not in a bubble. I have to go home and my wife could work or my children could go to school.
“We want as much information as possible so that we don’t have someone who is asymptomatic to broadcast it in the locker room or a position group or to a coach, which I think would be even more impactful. If you lose two or three coaches, it may not be possible to play a game. We don’t have a backup for all of these jobs and positions.
“The more information you have, the better it is each time you face an illness, especially one that we don’t understand. I want to be tested every day to mitigate the virus as best we can in these close quarters. “
It has been estimated that it could cost the NFL over $ 100 million to test every player each day. Of course, that would cost the NFL a lot more than if an epidemic among the players resulted in the season being canceled.
