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Major sports stars in the NFL, NBA, and NHL have been forced to watch their teams from the bench at home in recent weeks due to outbreaks of COVID-19 that have forced close contacts away from their teams.
The hits keep coming despite the leagues heavily promoting and encouraging players and staff to get vaccinated.
According to the NFL, approximately 95 percent of its players are vaccinated, the NBA is at 97 percent, despite some high-profile opt-outs, including the Brooklyn Nets' Tyree Irving, and the NFL has just one unvaccinated holdout in Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi.
There have now been outbreaks among multiple teams in the NFL, including the Cleveland Browns (at least 22 players on the COVID-19 list, including quarterback Baker Mayfield), Los Angeles Rams (13 players, including star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and former New York Giant wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.).
In the NFL, there were approximately 100 players placed on the COVID-19 list this week after either testing positive or being a confirmed close contact of someone who did, though few have shown major symptoms.
“I think the things that made us successful was keeping safety first," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week. "Second, being willing to adapt at all times."
“It’s clear even in the last couple of weeks that the changes are pretty significant and different than they were before, and I think it calls to modifications to our protocols in general, and we’re working with the players association on that.”
In the NBA, household names such as Zach LaVine, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Demar DeRozan have all had to sit out games, some of which have been postponed by the league due to outbreaks of the virus.
“Like the rest of the country, and as was predicted by our infectious disease specialists, we have seen an increase of cases around the League,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
“We will continue to follow the science and data and will, in close partnership with the Players Association, update our protocols as deemed appropriate by our medical experts.”
Hockey fans have also been hit hard by the winter surge of the virus, as nearly 150 players have been on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list this season, and postponed multiple New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Calgary Flames games.
The timing of the outbreak is particularly damning for the NFL, which is nearing the conclusion of its regular season, and players forced to sit out could have implications on the playoffs.
Comparatively, the NHL and NBA both have plenty of time left in their seasons to make adjustments to their COVID-19 protocols and guidance as the virus continues to evolve.
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