NFL warns that teams with COVID-19 outbreaks could forfeit games

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to all 32 NFL teams Thursday warning if teams suffer a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players, they could be forced to forfeit, and players could have their pay suspended.

However, if there is a virus outbreak because of a “spike in vaccinated individuals, we will attempt to minimize the competitive and economic burden on both participating teams,” the memo read.

Other key points in the league’s memo:

• If a vaccinated person tests positive and is not symptomatic, he or she will be isolated. They will be allowed to go back to work to after two negative tests 24 hours apart. Then after they go to work, the will be tested every two weeks or as directed by the medical staff. Vaccinated individuals will not have to quarantine if they were in close contact with an infected person.
• If an unvaccinated person tests positive, that person will be isolated for 10 days. If they are not symptomatic after that, they’ll be allowed to go to work. Unvaccinated people will have to quarantine for five days if they were in close contact with an infected individual.
• Those who had a previous COVID-19 infection will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after they have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

“As we learned last year, we can play a full season if we maintain a firm commitment to adhering to our health and safety protocols and to making needed adjustments in response to changing conditions,” Goodell said in the memo.

He added the league does not anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that need to be moved because of coronavirus issues.

The NFL has not made vaccinations mandatory. However, the league and the NFL Players Association are strongly urging team employees and players to do so.

The league said more than half its teams currently have COVID-19 vaccination rates greater than 80 percent of their players. More than 75 percent of players are in the process of being vaccinated. All training camps will be open by the end of next week.

Last year, the NFL completed its season, the playoffs and Super Bowl on time. There were several postponements but no cancellations. The league did have contingency plans for an additional week to play makeup games if needed.

In response to Goodell’s memo, the players’ union reminded its players “the same basic rules applied last year.” “The only difference this year is the NFL’s decision to impose additional penalties on clubs which are responsible for the outbreak and the availability of proven vaccines,” the NFLPA memo read. “The protocols we jointly agreed to helped get us through a full season last year without missing game checks and are effective, when followed.”