‘It would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall’
By Ed Payne | June 18, 2020 at 11:45 AM EDT – Updated June 19 at 8:00 AM
(Gray News) – Check your enthusiasm. Football may not happen this fall after all.
The warning comes from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci told CNN.
“If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
The prediction comes even as the NFL and NCAA are ramping up for fall ball.
On Wednesday, the NCAA gave the green light for offseason workout plans for football. Voluntary workouts began earlier this month.
In a May memo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell provided teams with protocols on how to gradually reopen their facilities.
Still, numerous college players have tested positive for coronavirus as they’ve reported back to campus.
And on Monday, several Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys players tested positive.
For now, the college football season is slated to kick off on Aug. 29. NFL preseason games are scheduled to start Aug. 6.
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