NFL: Ravens COVID outbreak continues and it leads to Wednesday afternoon football

[J T Money]

The NFL prints money, why shouldn't they pay the Steelers for a forefit another team caused and their own inflexible 'plan' for powering through the season caused? It's a dumb codicil anyway, in an season where forefits were going to be in the realm of possibility not to add in that if one team causes a forefit by not following protocols, screw them and make things right with the team who didn't cause it.

If the league wanted to set harsh punishments (from the start), they should have the team forfeiting (due to outbreaks) pay the opposing teams salaries for said game whilst the infected team receives no pay.

See how serious teams take the virus when the owner has to cough up 18ish million dollars and their own players not getting paid themselves.

 

[Richard]

How the f*** are they gonna play when two more ravens got covid. What if the Steelers get covid after this game... what do they have to forfeit. Its a bunch of bullshit.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

The NFL prints money, why shouldn't they pay the Steelers for a forefit another team caused and their own inflexible 'plan' for powering through the season caused? It's a dumb codicil anyway, in an season where forefits were going to be in the realm of possibility not to add in that if one team causes a forefit by not following protocols, screw them and make things right with the team who didn't cause it.

They print money by having games to televise. No game = no money.

NBC pays $950 million annually for the right to televise 20 or so games, so do the math, that's $47.5 million lost for a forfeit.

And that's centralized revenue, with each team getting 1/32nd of that pie, so if the Steelers are expecting to be paid for an unplayed game you've got 30 other teams forced to give money back to cover the loss.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

If the league wanted to set harsh punishments (from the start), they should have the team forfeiting (due to outbreaks) pay the opposing teams salaries for said game whilst the infected team receives no pay.

See how serious teams take the virus when the owner has to cough up 18ish million dollars and their own players not getting paid themselves.

Ideas like this are fantastic - especially when I think, how exactly would they get 3/4 of 32 owners to vote for something like this? and how exactly is that going to get written into the SPC that NFL players have?

 

[Ted Hoffman]

My interest in the NFL has been in a free fall throughout Goodell's tenure and this one just rattled the cage a little too much for me to just quietly grumble to myself like usual.

Weird, because I fondly remember the Paul Tagliabue era for him doing as little as possible, saying as little as possible, f***ing up seemingly simple shit and getting praise for "bold" decisions that anyone with two firing neurons and a pulse could have done or that would have happened anyway even if he'd kept his yapper shut.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Week. 18. You. Morons.

Obviously NBC doesn't give that much of a shit considering they're not pre-empting a ****ing tree lighting ceremony for on paper would be a damn good primetime game. So you don't have the "but muh networks!" excuse to cling to.

Goodell is a hack, as are the owners.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Why do you say the Ravens face no punishment? They are going to lose draft pick(s) and get major fines.

We'll see.

If we see a glut of Steelers positives in the following week there will be hell to pay.

 

[StreetHawk]

Week. 18. You. Morons.

Obviously NBC doesn't give that much of a shit considering they're not pre-empting a ****ing tree lighting ceremony for on paper would be a damn good primetime game. So you don't have the "but muh networks!" excuse to cling to.

Goodell is a hack, as are the owners.

Given that NBC lost the Thursday time slot on US Thanksgiving, it's their call what time they wish to have the game on. Fox/CBS did the same, setting the game in the afternoon.

As big as football is, NBC made the call that this tree lighting show is best kept at its current time slot and are not moving it.

 

[GKJ]

Not sure how close people paid attention to the tweets on Saturday with so much happening but the Ravens players wanted at least a day to practice (they got a walkthrough) and 2 days of no positives (doesn’t sound like that’s happening) or they were going to refuse to play and whatever happened is whatever happened. The players of course still expect to get paid as a result of forfeiture (especially given that the players didn’t cause the outbreak, it was some anti-mask asshole conditioning coach who still had their job for some reason).

The networks do not want a Week 18. At least not without having enough games. A dark Sunday of NFL games just to get one game will make them a lot more mad than one of them having to air a Wednesday afternoon game. This is why the NFL is hustling to cram the game in. They’ll play every weekday night from now until New Years if they have to. I really don’t see a week 18 happening unless there are multiple games.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

The networks do not want a Week 18. At least not without having enough games. A dark Sunday of NFL games just to get one game will make them a lot more mad than one of them having to air a Wednesday afternoon game. This is why the NFL is hustling to cram the game in. They’ll play every weekday night from now until New Years if they have to. I really don’t see a week 18 happening unless there are multiple games.

Absolutely, I think if it came down to it they'd play makeup games in the middle of the week following Week 17 and then potentially move Wild Card games back a couple days.

And perhaps you move those Week 17 games for the affected teams to Saturday (sorry, ESPN & ABC -- Outback & Gator Bowls)

 

[PanthersPens62]

Not sure how close people paid attention to the tweets on Saturday with so much happening but the Ravens players wanted at least a day to practice (they got a walkthrough) and 2 days of no positives (doesn’t sound like that’s happening) or they were going to refuse to play and whatever happened is whatever happened. The players of course still expect to get paid as a result of forfeiture (especially given that the players didn’t cause the outbreak, it was some anti-mask asshole conditioning coach who still had their job for some reason).

The networks do not want a Week 18. At least not without having enough games. A dark Sunday of NFL games just to get one game will make them a lot more mad than one of them having to air a Wednesday afternoon game. This is why the NFL is hustling to cram the game in. They’ll play every weekday night from now until New Years if they have to. I really don’t see a week 18 happening unless there are multiple games.

I get all of that & understand where the NFL is coming from, but again my issue is why a team that had a coach blatantly violate protocol gets to dictate the terms of how & when it plays. I realize the league will at some point lay down some sort of hammer, but the Ravens should not be in position to make demands.

Edit: I get that the players were sort of victims of the a-hole coach, but it does not make it any more reasonable to me that the organization can dictate terms.

 

[GKJ]

I get all of that & understand where the NFL is coming from, but again my issue is why a team that had a coach blatantly violate protocol gets to dictate the terms of how & when it plays. I realize the league will at some point lay down some sort of hammer, but the Ravens should not be in position to make demands.

Edit: I get that the players were sort of victims of the a-hole coach, but it does not make it any more reasonable to me that the organization can dictate terms.

The insinuation isn’t that the organization is. The players are.

 

[Troy McClure]

I get all of that & understand where the NFL is coming from, but again my issue is why a team that had a coach blatantly violate protocol gets to dictate the terms of how & when it plays. I realize the league will at some point lay down some sort of hammer, but the Ravens should not be in position to make demands.

Edit: I get that the players were sort of victims of the a-hole coach, but it does not make it any more reasonable to me that the organization can dictate terms.

I don't think the Ravens did dictate anything.

 

[BiolaRunner]

Given that NBC lost the Thursday time slot on US Thanksgiving, it's their call what time they wish to have the game on. Fox/CBS did the same, setting the game in the afternoon.

As big as football is, NBC made the call that this tree lighting show is best kept at its current time slot and are not moving it.

I would put the game on NBCSN and have it in the evening. Keep the tree lighting but allows people to watch the game. As it is, it'll be halftime before most east coasters get off work. People on the west coast probably miss the entirety.

EDIT: I looked at the programming for NBCSN. They had the Drone Racing League and La Liga. I think most wouldn't mind those being bumped for the NFL

 

[NJDevs26]

It’s gonna be lit when the Steelers have to play playoff games on Wednesday and Sunday because the Browns have an outbreak

 

[PanthersPens62]

If I'm being 100% honest, I don't think football (pro or college) should be played AT ALL in the midst of a raging pandemic. But selfishly, I'm enjoying the Dolphins, The U, The Steelers & Tanny all thriving & I'd be bored silly without it. That said, it still irks me that the NFL is seemingly more concerned about the economics than the health risks, which only reminds me of how/why our country is in this pathetic shape it is in now virus wise.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I would put the game on NBCSN and have it in the evening. Keep the tree lighting but allows people to watch the game. As it is, it'll be halftime before most east coasters get off work. People on the west coast probably miss the entirety.

EDIT: I looked at the programming for NBCSN. They had the Drone Racing League and La Liga. I think most wouldn't mind those being bumped for the NFL

I doubt that their contract allows for them to move a game to cable.

 

[John Price]

I doubt that their contract allows for them to move a game to cable.

It doesn't

NFL games are mostly on network TV with exception of espn. Even the espn game MUST be aired in local markets of the teams playing.

That and the NFL network games are the only cable ones

 

[Blitzkrug]

It’s gonna be lit when the Steelers have to play playoff games on Wednesday and Sunday because the Browns have an outbreak

God he's an idiot. The NFL would arguably have the easiest time with a bubble too given the playoffs only go for 5 weeks compared to the NHL and NBA which are usually 2 months.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

I don’t see a reason to bubble in one place. But I can see them creating bubbles in the playoff cities. Like all the staff and players stay in a hotel in town.

 

[Troy McClure]

God he's an idiot. The NFL would arguably have the easiest time with a bubble too given the playoffs only go for 5 weeks compared to the NHL and NBA which are usually 2 months.

The NFL bubble would be five times the number of people of the NBA's bubble. You're talking about needing hotel rooms for thousands of people.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

There isn't really a covid-safe way to play a sport like football.

 

[GKJ]

The only way an nfl bubble really works is ones that are enforced in each town, which is something that could have already been happening.

 

[Barnum]

God he's an idiot. The NFL would arguably have the easiest time with a bubble too given the playoffs only go for 5 weeks compared to the NHL and NBA which are usually 2 months.

Way more people involved with NFL teams vs NBA or NHL teams. I think I remember reading there are on average 2.5 personal for every single player on a team. That’s a massive amount of people that need to be housed in a city.

Granted, this may not hold true any longer with the new turf but I am going to guess, you can’t run 4 games per day on one field. I do say this out of ignorance of how long it takes to get the new turf fields ready for game day.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

God he's an idiot. The NFL would arguably have the easiest time with a bubble too given the playoffs only go for 5 weeks compared to the NHL and NBA which are usually 2 months.

You have to consider how massive NFL teams are compared to the NHL and NBA though.

Football teams have 53-man rosters. And that's just the players. Once you factor in coaches (Nearly every team has at least 20 coaches), add medical staff, ball boys, and other team personnel you're looking at a pretty massive population.