#NFL players could lose pay if ‘high-risk’ activities lead to coronavirus

NFL players run the risk of not getting paid this season if they are found to contract COVID-19 after putting themselves in unnecessary danger.

According to a memo obtained by ESPN, teams “can challenge designation as a football related injury” if players take part in “high-risk” outings. The memo is not yet finalized, but indicates players will have to hold themselves responsible for what they do away from the facility this season.

Among the places that could get them in trouble if there are more than 15 people in attendance, per the memo, are indoor nightclubs, indoor bars (other than to pick up food), indoor house parties, indoor concerts/entertainment events or pro sporting events, other than NFL games. Indoor religious services at venues that are more than 25 percent full are also considered high-risk.

The protocols come as training camps start this week across the league and the NFL tries to run a regular season in the midst of a pandemic.

Already, after its opening weekend of games, MLB is facing challenges with multiple players on teams contracting the virus while the NBA has had instances of players having to quarantine after breaking their bubble — whether that’s by crossing a line to get delivery, as Richaun Holmes did, or attending a nightclub, purportedly for chicken wings, as Lou Williams did while on an excused absence.