Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders earned backlash from the public when he posted his take on the recent opt-outs of NFL players. The growing number of football players who have chosen to opt-out of the 2020 season was mostly due to health and safety concerns amidst the pandemic.
The 8th-time Pro Bowler expressed his opinion on the matter on Twitter:
All Players OPTING out in all sports PLEASE BELIEVE the game will go on without u. This is a business & don’t u EVER forget that. There’s NO ONE that’s bigger than the game itself. Only the ref,umps & officials are that important that u can’t play without them. NOT YOU! #Truth
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) August 7, 2020
Prime Time also received comments from former NFL players themselves:
“LIFE is bigger than any GAME family always comes first, especially when their health is at risk,” former Buffalo Bills cornerback Vontae Davis wrote in response.
The NFL and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) gave the players two options to help with their decision-making. Players considered as high risk for COVID-19 can earn $350,000 and an accrued NFL season if they choose to opt-out of the season. Players without risk can earn $150,000 for opting out.
The deadline has now passed and a total of 66 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season, nearly half of them were linemen. The New England Patriots led the league with eight players deciding to sit. Only three teams had no player opt-outs, which include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
A player would still get a stipend in the event of a forced sit-out due to a changed medical circumstance even after the deadline. Otherwise, there will be no financial compensation for voluntary future opt-outs. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has already rampaged the game of football as a whole. The upcoming college football season is also being potentially looked at to be canceled soon because the risks are going to be too much to bear for the universities involved.
The next few weeks will see if there will be any coronavirus-related developments as full-roster training camps are officially underway.
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