Report: Some NFL players questioning return to play due to unsafe conditions

Following a two-hour conference call on Thursday surrounding COVID-19 protocols between team player reps and NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer, players were openly questioning their safety, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano, citing sources.

Graziano added there was sentiment among players of, "Why are we playing at all if it's this unsafe?"

The players' association also decided that athletes could be fined for breaking protocols during the 2020 season if they're found to have spread the virus due to "reckless" behavior outside of the club's facility, according to Graziano.

Additionally, some players are pushing back against the proposed face shields due to the effect it has on their vision and breathing while playing, reports Graziano.

It's expected that meetings and media access this season will be virtual and players will stay in their homes instead of hotels for training camp.

Teams have to host training camps at their main facilities. The league also canceled joint practices for this year's camp, which will apparently begin in the last week of July.

Though the NFL reportedly plans to trim the 2020 preseason from four to two games, the league is still planning to kick off the regular season as scheduled on Sept. 10.

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