Report: NFL scraps preseason, agrees with union on COVID-19 testing protocols

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills gestures while speaking during a health and safety tour on Jan. 29, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game in Atlanta.
Photo credit David J. Phillip/AP Photo, File

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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Even though a union executive claims the league didn’t concede in this matter, it sounds like there will be no preseason games during this NFL season, which — like everything else — is affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to the Associated Press, the NFL is offering to eliminate all exhibition games instead of holding two, which was already fewer than the originally scheduled four.

The NFL and players' union did agree on testing protocol for the start of Training Camp. Players will be tested daily for the first two weeks of camp. According to NFL.com, after that, if less than 5% of the tests are positive, testing will move to every other day. 

Our statement on Covid-19 testing procedures: pic.twitter.com/6mYF3aK0jm

— NFLPA (@NFLPA) July 20, 2020

Monday’s developments happened after a social media blitz on Sunday, where many players, including Eagles and stars, tweeted #WeWantToPlay while calling on the NFL to ramp up its protocol for health and safety.

In the meantime, on Monday, the NBA announced none of the 346 players tested for the coronavirus on the NBA’s Disney World campus has been positive since July 13. 

The NBA and NBPA have announced the following: pic.twitter.com/XLlEU5Dxty

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2020

And the NHL said that during the first five days of Training Camps, July 13-17, two of the 2,618 tests given to over 800 players came back positive.

NHL statement on COVID-19 testing results: pic.twitter.com/C137laTvbH

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 20, 2020

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.