Yahoo Lifestyle Report: NFL sets advisory committee of former players, coaches, GMS for COVID-19 issues
The NFL has its eight-person outside advisory committee in place to assist commissioner Roger Goodell on COVID-19 related issues such as postponing, moving and canceling games, per a report by Pro Football Talk.
Troy Vincent, the NFL’s football operations chief, told reporters earlier this week a committee would be put in place of former coaches, general managers and players. The idea is to avoid “inequalities” or conflicts of interest in the decisions that might arise given an outbreak.
NFL names COVID-19 advisory committee
Per PFT, the committee will be:
Former NFL cornerback Champ Bailey, former NFL receiver Isaac Bruce, former NFL G.M. Charley Casserly, former NFL head coach Tom Coughlin, former NFL head coach Marvin Lewis, former NFL safety Troy Polamalu, former NFL G.M. Bill Polian, and former NFL G.M. Rick Smith.
The committee will also help determine issues around playoff seeding if there are teams that do not play a full 16-game schedule, Vincent told reporters. There are no further details on how those conversations might go, or if there is a protocol for the committee to deal with them. The group is also considering a playoff scenario in a bubble environment.
Will there really be no bias?
There are notably no medical doctors or public health specialists on this particular advisory committee, though the league is taking directions from Dr. Allen Sills, the chief medical officer of the NFL. On Wednesday, he cautioned against any strict scheduling.
“We're going to have to be flexible and adaptable,” Sills said. “I think that's something we'll continue to track and monitor. If this taught us anything, projecting three/four weeks down the road is a hazardous business.”
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