NFL and players’ union

The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to terminate, effective immediately, all protocols regarding COVID-19, the league said in a memorandum.

“Based on current encouraging trends regarding the prevalence and severity of COVID-19, evolving CDC regulations, changes to state laws and consultations with our respective experts, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to suspend all aspects of the joint COVID-19 protocols,” the NFL stated in the release. “We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of players, coaches and employees, as we have throughout the pandemic.”

The move means an end to mandates for the use of mouthpieces, tracking devices, mandatory testing and limitations on the capacity of venues for league events, unless local or state rules provide otherwise.

The NFL also gave its clubs leeway to keep “reasonable” rules in place to protect the health of its players and coaches. Among those rules, the league will allow clubs to require the use of face masks inside their facilities.

According to the memorandum, COVID-19 testing may continue to be applied in cases where it is indicated for clinical reasons or requested by a club’s medical staff. In addition, teams will continue to be required to provide a space within their complex for MESA testing for individuals who report symptoms and require testing.

Similarly, clubs are no longer required to maintain social distancing and cover-up signs within their facilities, and the “tiered” system of ranking employees and subjecting them to different COVID-19 regulations is no longer in place.

Clubs may retain the power to impose capacity limitations on their gyms, if they deem it appropriate.

Finally, the league requests in the memo that individuals immediately report any symptoms, and submit to a COVID-19 screening test. A positive test would then lead to a five-day isolation period, in compliance with rules dictated by the CDC.

The first actions the NFL took against COVID-19 occurred nearly two years ago, when it canceled in-person team visits with draft prospects and held the 2020 NFL Draft virtually. After that, the facilities of all 32 NFL clubs were closed, only being allowed to reopen in May of that year, once the protocols required by the league to deal with the pandemic had been met. Then came the cancellation of that year’s offseason and preseason program.

Most of the more severe protocols had been waived since the end of the 2021 campaign.