Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson just called out both the NFL and the NFLPA for all the safety precautions (or lack there of) surrounding the upcoming training camp and 2020 NFL regular season.
The Eagles vet called out those in charge and demanded for them to have a little more urgency in coming up with different safety guidelines and financial security for everyone in the league.
In an Instagram post, the 30-year-old mentioned that even though training camp is set to begin in less than three week, there has been no concrete response from the league with regards to both physical and financial guarantees for players.
“It is unacceptable and utterly disrespectful for the owners to have set a camp start date of July 28, 2020 with no safety/ financial guarantee agreed upon for us as players, the backbone of this industry,” the Eagles DT wrote.
“We (players) are sons, fathers & brothers wanting to protect our families during this unprecedented time. As Pro-Athletes we are willing and able juggle. Juggle the risk that our careers bring, the stress of the game on our minds and bodies and most important making sure we don’t neglect our families. Now, you want us to weigh putting food on the table the best way we know how which we could potentially catching the killer virus and bring it home or starve.”
The 2015 Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos went on to explain how difficult it would be for the players, especially for a DT like him, to be able to fully perform their duties and roles by simply following the generic social distancing protocols that have been thrown around.
“I can not pass Rush from 6 feet away, I cannot defeat a double team from 6 feet away nor can I tackle somebody from 6 feet away (to not do those things in practice, just in games is asinine). This sport is not in any way able to be played 6 feet away, let alone stop the transfer of sweat and blood,” Malik Jackson added.
It remains to be seen what will the NFL and NFLPA do with Jackson's concerns regarding the safety and financial security of players. However, the Eagles player is not alone with the issue. In fact, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas recently called the league's proposal to escrow players' salaries in 2019-20 as a “joke.”
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