Are Dolphins players worried about returning to practice during COVID-19? We asked
While the league and the union insist no plan is finalized, NFL players and coaches could return to team facilities as soon as next month, Yahoo! reported earlier this week.
But just how eager will they be to return to a locker room, which is essentially one big petri dish?
The answer we got from two Dolphins players Thursday?
We are ready to get back to football — so long as the team and the league do what’s needed.
“I’d feel comfortable” returning to practice in a couple of weeks, Dolphins defensive back Bobby McCain said.
“I know they’re going to take the necessary precautions to keep us safe. I’m no doctor so I can’t tell you too much about the coronavirus, but I do know it’s dangerous. I know they’re going to take the proper steps to make sure that when we come back, we don’t contract the virus, we don’t come back and get sick. I’d definitely be excited for that.”
Added tight end Mike Gesicki: “I have trust in the NFL and our health officials and everybody that is way higher up than myself and all those guys that are making these decisions to allow us to come back into the building, whenever that time may be. Whenever that is checked off for us to go back, I won’t really be too scared or nervous of anything because I feel the league wouldn’t put us in harm’s way. I think they’re going to make sure everything is very safe, and 100 percent for us to get back when they allow that.”
Aside from Major League Baseball, most every major league and sport is on the path to return. Hockey playoffs are expected to begin in late July or early August. The basketball timeline, while still not finalized, seems to be about the same.
NASCAR has been racing for weeks. Golf resumes June 11.
But none of these sports have the number of participants and close contact as football.
Each cold and flu season, bugs rip through NFL locker rooms. The Patriots’ collective health was so bad last December that sick players were quarantined in their own plane for the Texans road game.
But coronavirus is far more dangerous than the flu. And a vaccine and even therapeutic treatment still looks to be months off. As a result, the league has banned in-person meetings and all practices, for now. The Dolphins, like all 32 teams, are meeting with their players virtually.
That could soon change, however. Yahoo! reported there’s talk of teams returning for minicamp next month. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Thursday that the league is hopeful to have coaches back in team headquarters as early as next week, but added that the virtual offseason program has been extended by two more weeks.
That means for now, the Dolphins’ nine new coaches — including offensive coordinator Chan Gailey — will continue building relationships with their players via WiFi.
“You always kind of have that structure and a coach kind of telling you what time your workouts are and everything like that,” Gesicki said. “So right now it’s been a lot of accountability on yourself. But I think it’s been cool. It’s been something different and probably something that we’ll never have to experience again, hopefully.
“I’ve just kind of been taking advantage of this time to focus on myself and getting in great shape to come out there this summer, whenever training camp kind of rolls around, and be able to compete,” he added. “Honestly, I think I’ve made the most of these circumstances. I think a lot of guys have around the league.
“You see guys kind of doing what they can and working out in very unique ways back home or wherever they are. So, it’s been cool, it’s been unique, like I said, but whenever this kind of stuff ends I’m excited to get back and get on the guys and get working out and kind of have that structure of coaching and schedule and all that kind of stuff back.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 2:27 PM.
