NFL coaches operated under strict COVID-19 protocols all season long. Now that the season, for 18 teams, has ended, plenty of NFL coaches don’t want to handle the annual college All-Star game known as the Senior Bowl.
One league source told PFT up that to 10 coaching staffs have declined an opportunity to coach in the game, due to concerns regarding the fact that college players have been subject to more relaxed COVID-19 protocols.
The safety of older coaches is of paramount concern, given that older individuals face a greater risk of an adverse outcome in the event of an infection. Some have suggested that teams are using the issue as an excuse to bail on the game, because “no one ever wants to coach it.”
Presumably, they’ll find someone to coach the game. This year, however, the Senior Bowl is having a harder time than usual when it comes to luring coaches to Mobile for the week that typically begins after the conference championship games, in 16 days.