The NFL is prohibiting the post-game ritual of jersey swapping for the upcoming 2020 season as a precautionary safety measure amid coronavirus concerns, and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is not in favor of the new policy.
On Thursday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that “teams will be forbidden from postgame interactions within 6 feet of each other and jersey exchanges between players will be prohibited during the 2020 season, sources say. Another way the NFL will look different in the COVID-19 world.”
The Texans QB quote-tweeted Pelissero, calling the policy “DAMN SILLY.”
thats DAMN SILLY bro.. 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/QDOwn2G3bc
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) July 9, 2020
After some initial push back, Watson clarified his feelings, calling out the league for instituting a surface-level policy ostensibly prioritizing health and safety while steadfastly going forward with the plan to, you know, play football.
“Have you ever played in a professional football game before?” Watson wrote in response to another user who criticized his initial tweet. “So you don’t think when you get tackled sweat and saliva isn’t there? Or during timeouts or in a huddle or in between plays guys aren’t talking to each other face to face? I need better facts to get it?” Houston's QB wasn't bashful about sharing his opinion.
“Explain to me why are they allowing us to play at all? The other 4 quarters don’t matter.. I don’t understand so help me sir,” Watson added.
The Texans star is not the only NFL player to voice opposition to the jersey swap prohibition. His Texans teammate, wide receiver Randall Cobb, tweeted “this has to be a joke”, while Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Trai Truner accused the league of “just making stuff up now” and called for the NFL to “address the real issues. Times ticking”.
In somewhat similar fashion, the NFL is reportedly planning on cutting down the number of preseason games from four to two to combat Covid-19 concerns. As many players and other folks have pointed out, having zero preseason games would be a much more effective strategy.