UNDATED (AP) — The NFL had to reschedule several games last season due to COVID-19 outbreaks within teams. The league won’t be as willing to do that this year.
The NFL has informed teams they could potentially forfeit a game due to an outbreak among non-vaccinated players and that players on both teams wouldn’t get paid that week.
In a memo sent to clubs that was obtained by The Associated Press, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league doesn’t anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that can’t be rescheduled within the 18-week regular season. However, forfeits are among the consequences. For purposes of playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be credited with a win.
The league says more than half its teams have COVID-19 vaccination rates greater than 80% of their players, and more than 75% of players are in the process of being vaccinated.
In other NFL news:
— All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner has signed a five-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers taking him through the 2026 season. The 24-year-old Warner has started all 48 games in his three seasons with San Francisco, making 79 tackles last season with a sack, forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
— Running back Saquon Barkley is starting training camp for the Giants on the active/physically unable to perform list. The NFL’s 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year suffered a torn ACL during the Giants’ second game last season and underwent surgery in October. Players on the Active/PUP list can be activated at any time during training camp.
— Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp has died at age 58 of injuries suffered in a bicycle accident near his home in California last Saturday. The family said in the statement that Knapp was struck by a car while riding his bicycle in the city of San Ramon in the San Francisco Bay Area and never regained consciousness.
