Brees: ‘If NFL doesn’t do their part … there is no football in 2020’

Saints quarterback Drew Brees took to social media Sunday morning to call out NFL management regarding how it will manage the coronavirus with training camp just around the corner.

“The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent” the league from playing this year, Brees posted on Twitter Sunday. “If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020.”

We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL

— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) July 19, 2020

Brees’ post comes as many other players are posting similar messages with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. Among the others posting are Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins.

It blows my mind that the NFL is unwilling to follow the recommendations of their own experts regarding player health and safety. If we want to have a FULL season this year we need the NFL to listen to their experts!   #WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/q55RpqRzPu

— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) July 19, 2020

Jenkins wrote: “If we want to have a FULL season this year we need the NFL to listen to their experts!”

According to NFL Network and NFL.com’s Tom Pellissero, the joint medical committee of the NFL and its players association recommended that players have a “21-day acclimation period,” to which the NFL’s response was to have players report to camp 14 days early, but the players association declined. The NFL has reduced the preseason from four games to two, eliminating the first and last games on the schedule, but the players are suggesting no preseason.