NFL Reschedules 3 Games Due To COVID-19 Outbreak Among Players

The NFL has rescheduled three of its weekend games in the wake of an increasing number of players who are testing positive for COVID-19.

What Happened: The league issued a statement that revised its game schedule that moves Saturday’s Las Vegas Raiders-Cleveland Browns game to Monday, Dec. 20, with a live broadcast at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

Also being moved are two games planned for Sunday: the Washington Football Team-Philadelphia Eagles game and Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams game will now be played on Tuesday, Dec. 31, with both events being kicking off at 7 p.m. ET for broadcast on FOX FOXA and on NFL Sunday Ticket.

The postponements are the first for the current season and the first made since the arrival of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The league and the players’ union came to an agreement on the schedule shifting.

“We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” said the NFL in a statement. “We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.”

Why It's Important: The announcement is a directional change for the NFL, which started the season insisting that games would not be postponed or rescheduled to avoid roster issues that created injury illness “absent medical considerations or government directives.”

On Thursday, the league amended its protocols to enable the return of asymptomatic, vaccinated players to play as soon as 24 hours after a positive COVID test.

Related Link: Omicron Found In Wastewater At Florida County Home To Disney And Universal Parks

What Else Happened: The NFL is also facing pushback from many of its players on its COVID protocols. NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero reported the players’ union is dealing with athletes who are unhappy at the requirements now in place.

“A notable dynamic: Sources say the NFLPA has received feedback that a majority of players want to eliminate COVID protocols altogether,” Pelissero tweeted. “No more testing, quarantining, etc. That sentiment isn’t shared by union leadership, which has continued to advocate for daily testing.”

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