Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio appears to have a strong opinion against players opting out, however, he rather keep that opinion to himself. As training camp is set to rev up practices to prepare for the 2020 season, the NFL is allowing players to opt out with concerns of playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with Ben Standig of the Athletic, the opinionated Del Rio declined to express his viewpoint on players opting out because it may go against the NFL.
“I have personal views that would probably not sit well with my professional occupation right now. I think I’ll just leave it like that.”
A number of NFL players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 NFL season over coronavirus concerns. Two members of Del Rio’s defense in Washington have also opted out. Defensive end Caleb Brantley and linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons
Brantley was designated as “high risk” while linebacker Harvey-Clemons has explained his two sons have asthma and are at higher risk of coronavirus. The list of players could increase before the league designated deadline. Players have until Thursday at 4pm EDT to opt out of the season.
Both Brantley and Harvey-Clemons entered training camp as fringe players. Thus, Washington has not been drastically affected by the opt out. However, eight players of the New England Patriots have opted out.
Del Rio may have declined to detail his viewpoint, but a previous tweet in June sheds light on how he may feel.
Yes, players do understand the usual risk of playing football. However, the current pandemic has presented a unique risk the league has never faced before.
