Dr. Anthony Fauci says football teams would need to emulate plans by the NBA and MLS for a “bubble” format or consider not playing in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key member of the White House task force on the virus, told CNN that football players would need to be isolated from others and tested regularly.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci said. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
While the NFL could follow its pro basketball and soccer counterparts and consider isolating players to begin the season, it is unclear how the college game could do the same on university campuses.
The NFL has maintained that it will start its regular season as scheduled Sept. 10, when the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans. The offseason program has been conducted remotely, but the plan is for training camps to be held in person starting in late July.
A source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler earlier this week that the NFL Players Association told players that they could be tested roughly every three days for COVID-19 and isolated if they test positive.
On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Council approved a six-week practice plan for football that begins in July in hopes of starting the 2020 season on time.
In May, Fauci said football is the “perfect setup” to spread the coronavirus, noting the close contact that players engage in every play.
