Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians spoke to the Tampa Bay Times today about the upcoming season. In his interview, he made some interesting comments about players and COVID-19.
“We’ve got to be careful. The players, they’re just going to all get sick, that’s for sure. It’s just a matter of how sick they get.”
This comment got some attention and rightfully so. But does Arians mean that every player will catch the virus? Probably not. However, at 67 Arians is a high risk for the illness. Having had cancer a few years ago, Arians should take precautions.
“I’ve got be real careful. I’ll probably double mask and a (face) shield.”
These remarks come at an uneasy time in football with only two weeks left until training camp. And with the NFLPA’s proposal to cancel preseason games, Arians’ comments are worrisome. Although I don’t think he really meant every player on the Bucs roster will get sick, he’s using it as a tactic to assure players take the precautions laid out by the NFL and the NFLPA. After having a coach and two players test positive back in June, it justifies his comments.
My other theory is maybe he’s calling out Tom Brady who has been holding private workouts for the past two months. Brady came under scrutiny for these workouts, and many think he’s being irresponsible.
But it makes you wonder if Arians is worried his players might get sick and delay training camp even further. The team, along with the NFL, know the severity of this virus, and with positive tests already, I think Arians’ comments are a mere warning.
