Seven officials have chosen not to participate in the 2020 NFL season due to concerns about the coronavirus, the NFL announced on Friday.
The news comes as the NFL season is set to begin in less than a month when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans in a playoff rematch on September 10.
The five field officials include linesman Jeff Bergman, back judge Steve Freeman, ground judge Greg Gautreaux, ground judge Joe Larrew and back judge Tony Steratore. The other two officials were not named in the league press release.
According to an agreement between the league and the NFL Referees Association, officials who retired from this season were guaranteed their jobs in 2021 while being compensated in the amount of $ 30,000.
The NFL has also said umpiring teams will be assigned based on geography to avoid unnecessary travel throughout the pandemic, with the league adding that crews will not umpire a game involving the same team more than twice. per season.
Several teams have announced that they will not have supporters in the stands to start the season, including the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets and the Washington football team. All other clubs will allow fans, but on a limited basis according to social distancing guidelines.
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