LA Rams News: Dr. Fauci warns 2020 NFL season may not happen

LA Rams News: Dr. Fauci warns NFL season may not take place in 2020

The LA Rams have done everything by the book, as have 31 other NFL teams. But will it be enough to ensure that the 2020 NFL season will happen? Not according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In a recent interview with CNN’s Wayne Sterling and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fauci admitted that the second wave of a coronavirus outbreak is a distinct possibility. Should that second wave take place, the NFL would be forced to scrap all plans for a 2020 NFL season.

So here we are, preparing for an NFL season as though it will happen, and it may all be for naught. How can this be? Well, it’s the next logical step from the NFL discussion about quarantine quarterbacks and expanding rosters in 2020. The logic is based on the conclusion that the highly infectious nature of COVID-19 can be transmitted across nearly the entire NFL team roster before detection.

COVID-19 danger of shutting down NFL season is still very possible

Football is a direct contact sport. COVID-19 can be spread through that contact. So Dr. Fauci elaborated on what type of problems that will cause:

"“”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. 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.” – Dr. Fauci interview"

Of course, the only action the NFL can take now is to plan for the worst and hope for the best. And right now, that is exactly what the NFL is doing.

Truth or consequences

The Truth of the matter is that the NFL season is still very much up in the air. The consequences to the NFL if that happens would be absolutely devastating. While the LA Rams would be in the same challenge as the other 31 NFL teams, the Rams organization is on the hook for what is now a $6 billion Sofi Stadium Sports complex, a sports complex that is very dependant upon sales of seats to help fund the construction. No season, no events, and no ability to forecast when the “All’s clear” will sound places that project at great financial risk.

But beyond that, no season will play havoc with the 2021 NFL Salary Cap. The NFL uses revenues gained to set the new salary cap for the following year. With no games played, revenues will plummet and will create quite a bit of difficulty for all NFL teams to afford players next season.

LA Rams News: Dr. Fauci warns NFL season may not take place in 2020

COVID-19 danger of shutting down NFL season is still very possible

Truth or consequences

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