The NFL has made it through nearly seven weeks of the season despite various COVID-19 brushfires that have forced multiple games to be rescheduled. The league is far from being out of the woods when it comes to the objective of playing a complete regular season within 17 weeks.
Case in point: According to NJ.com, Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, and other Giants teammates went out in New York City on Friday night.
Per the report, “Jones and a few of his teammates and friends had dinner in a private room at a restaurant in the city,” before having a drink in a bar that was closed to the public.
In a statement to NJ.com, the Giants said that the organization is “aware of the video that was posted” and that "[w]e are looking into the nature and context of what is on the video.”
Earlier this month, the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to ban player gatherings outside the facility.
The Giants, at 1-6, fall into the category of teams about which the league is particularly concerned. As franchises fall out of contention, players may be less careful about avoiding the virus.
As one league source put it very recently, the confluence of cold/flu season and teams no longer vying for playoff position is “exactly what’s keeping me up at night.”