Latest On NFL’s Plans

With 18 days to go before the projected start of camp, the NFL has made some headway on its plan of attack. Still, there’s much to be determined. The league has yet to finalize the number of exhibition games that will be played or iron out the details of its testing protocols, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, the training camp schedule will hinge on the preseason schedule, so that is also up in the air.

The league has decided that fans will not be allowed to attend training camp practices, though teams will be permitted to have up to two fan events at their stadiums during the preseason if they are able to follow strict protocols. In states where fans are allowed to attend, face coverings will be mandatory, even if the local authorities aren’t making them a requirement.

The NFL believes that it has the authority to make most of these decisions unilaterally, but the union isn’t necessarily on board with that. Recently, NFLPA president J.C. Tretter outlined the union’s stance on a number of issues, including the elimination of the preseason. The NFL is pushing for two preseason games; Tretter wants zero. The league was reportedly dismayed by Tretter’s comments and there figures to be some tough negotiations in the coming days between the two sides.

Beyond the preseason/training camp guidelines, there are also some pretty serious money matters to discuss. The league wants to hold 35% of player salaries in escrow and the NFLPA is, predictably, not okay with that proposal.

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