Jul 7, 2020
Diggs uncomfortable playing amid pandemic
New Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs says he feels uneasy about playing out the 2020 NFL season during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
TSN.ca Staff
New Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs says he feels uneasy about playing out the 2020 NFL season during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Diggs shared his thoughts about playing football this season in a string of tweets Tuesday night.
I miss football...
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 7, 2020
I love football... with all of me
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 7, 2020
But there’s so many unanswered questions with this upcoming season. I’d be lying if I said I was comfortable starting back up..
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 7, 2020
Like the rest of his fellow players, Diggs, who was acquired by the Bills this off-season in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, has had to do practically all of his training away from the Bills facility because of the pandemic. Even this year's NFL draft was held virtually.
Diggs’ tweets also come as multiple U.S. states report high daily numbers of COVID-19 cases after having some success battling the virus in previous months.
Despite his hesitation about playing, Diggs said that he's been training hard in order to be ready to play, but that he would be bothered by having to play with no fans in attendance.
I’ve been training my butt off just trying to stay ready and prepared.
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 7, 2020
I’ve never played a game with zero fans in the stands. Even in little league we atleast had parents and other family members... this will be weird if it happens
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) July 7, 2020
The NFL recently decided to trim the number of potential preseason games this season from four to two, with the Players' Association recommending that the entire preseason be eliminated. The league has reiterated throughout the pandemic that it’s planning on starting the season on time in September.