Teams Petition to Reschedule NFL Games Due to COVID Outbreak
In light of the positive COVID tests within the Tennessee Titans organization, the Titans along with the Minnesota Vikings organization (who they played this past Sunday), have closed down their practice facilities. The rumored action by the NFL is to remain on schedule with upcoming games scheduled this week. However, several teams seemingly have issue with this plan.
A league source states that five teams New York Jets, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons are protesting a potential maintenance of the current schedule. An unnamed source states that the head coaches feel it is unfair that the Vikings can justify a fourth straight loss while their job security will drop even further into jeopardy. “Can you imagine how easy that press conference would be ‘Hard to win when you can’t practice’”, a coach on one of these teams is reported to have said.
It doesn’t end there though. The General Managers of these teams have moved to place a formal complaint against the Vikings in their move to lose another game to gain a better draft position. A section of the complaint reads: “Our teams are still required to practice and therefore have no discernible complaint against the league in losing four straight games to start the season except for the incompetence of the coaching staff and organizational personnel.”
If that doesn’t do justice for these five teams, perhaps this quote by an unnamed team executive will sum up the situation: “It’s hard to find good reasons to loss a football game, but the league has basically handed the Minnesota Vikings the right to tank this season.”
Apparently word spread to the rest of the league. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins had this to say in an effort to counter the other teams’ complaint, “We’re supposed to be the league’s worst teams but we’ve each already won one game, it’s not fair these more talented teams are given more opportunities to lose. They should have to try to field a respectable squad like the rest of the league.”
In fielding comments from other teams, the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions noted they were not aware other teams were intentionally losing games for improved future prospects and dismissed the report, “What good is the number pick anyway?” one Browns executive quipped.
Regardless of what the league ultimately decides, it appears the race for the bottom will be fierce this year.
