Search
Close this search box.

The NFL Likes Money, The World Wants Safety; Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off

Never underestimate the power of the NFL.

The football lords have tried to ignore safety before and they may just do it again, right under the noses of every die-hard fan, fantasy football junkie and bandwagon jumper.

Gotta have your football. It can be an addiction. From age 8 to about 29, I was in front of that TV watching as many NFL games as I could, a true believer. No doubt in my mind whatsoever about its importance in my life. I was a mainliner, watching the pregame, the two afternoon games and then the postgame every Sunday.

Then I moved to Hawaii and for the first time, I realized there are more important things to do on Sundays in the winter — like going surfing or being outside in the sun. Granted, when living in New England, there is something nice and cozy about warming up to your favorite sport with a Bloody Mary instead of trudging through three feet of snow, or driving on a half-inch slick of ice, or even going out to walk your dog on a soggy, 30-degree rainy, messy day.

So, I started to see the light, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, I love football. I especially love watching high school football, where the game is still being played in a fashion that is mostly unsullied by money, commercials, endless replays, and, did I mention never-ending commercials?

NFL
New England linebacker Dont'a Hightower is one of at least 66 players who have opted not to play the NFL season due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Will the NFL march on despite the risk? So far, it's all systems go. (Photo from ChowderAndChampions.com).
Sure, I like the NFL and college football, too. Doesn’t mean I’m sitting there every minute. I can watch a good game. But good games are getting harder to find. Like I said, too many commercials and replays and glitz and hype. That kind of stuff gets in the way for me. Give me the game itself. But enough of this introduction that was necessary to point out the relative importance of football and the NFL. It’s important. But its not oxygen. That’s why it’s amazing to me that the NFL is seriously considering playing a full season despite a worldwide health crisis. The NHL and NBA are back in action, but only at a few sites, and there is a bubble-city system in place, with lots of testing and safety protocols and procedures and limited access with zero fans in attendance. Those who have time to pay attention to sports in these tough times may have heard the horror stories about all of the canceled Major League Baseball games because of the many COVID-19 positive tests despite safety procedures (but no bubble) in place and no fans. The NFL hasn’t even gone as far as saying it will limit or ban fans, and the first game of the regular season is scheduled Sept. 10, about a month away. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Houston Texans. I saw the ad for that game on TV. Something just didn’t look right about that. All it would take is for one offensive lineman, say, to have the virus and smash into the helmet of the defensive tackle on the other side of the line. One breath. One transmission. And then boom, everybody they come into contact with is in jeopardy.
Former University of Hawaii and current New York Jets center Leo Koloamatangi is one of 66 players to opt out of the NFL season so far due to the COVID-19 health crisis. (Photo from the @MrKoloamatangi Twitter page).

That is insane — in my opinion anyway. I may be in the minority. Who knows? I guess there are a lot out there who are just waiting to see what happens and, uh, maybe football will appear. But it’s already gone, in some cases at lower levels. As of a few days ago, 37 states had already modified their high school football schedule with 15, including Hawaii, opting out of the fall completely. Earlier today, the Big Ten postponed its college season and has a plan to hold it in the spring. Craziness. Think about that. No Big Ten football!!!!

—————————-

ALSO AT NICKABRAMO.COM: Hawaii’s Blaysen Terukina Rolls to NAIA National Wrestling Championship

—————————-

Speaking of helmets crashing. Heads are under those protective devices. It wasn’t that long ago that the NFL took quite a long time to settle out of court and not really take the blame for all of the players who filed suit because of their suffering from CTE and dementia due to — it has been theorized — all of the on-field, head-to-head collisions.

This time, the NFL should get ahead of the safety situation. So maybe — if there is any possible chance at safety like the NHL and NBA have ensured thus far — try for a shortened NFL season.

But maybe, if there are going to be a ton of precautions that can’t be met (bubble cities, no fans), just admit that you care more about money than safety and — instead of going through the cancellation carousel like MLB — LET”S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF.

Just like in the song “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, calling it off would leave some unfortunate souls “heartbroken.”

But better heartbroken than putting more lives in danger.

And it’s not such a crazy idea to call it all off. As of Sunday, 66 NFL players had already opted out from playing the season (including former University of Hawaii and current New York Jets center Leo Koloamatangi, who was the subject of a June 22 feature story on this website) due to the COVID-19 threat.

—————–

Editor’s note: This story was edited to correct the number of states who have opted out of fall football.

—————–

Top Stories

2022 Hawaii High School Football Command Center

2022 Hawaii High School Football Command Center

Isi Holani’s Death At 24 Is Another In A Long String Of Hawaii Football Tragedies

Isi Holani’s Death At 24 Is Another In A Long

Opinion: Expect No Hawaii High School Football This Fall

Opinion: Expect No Hawaii High School Football This Fall

New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District Aims For September 2023 Opening

New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District Aims For September 2023 Opening

The NFL Likes Money, The World Wants Safety; Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off

The NFL Likes Money, The World Wants Safety; Let’s Call

Hawaii High School Football And Other Sports Moved to January

Hawaii High School Football And Other Sports Moved to January

BREAKING: Punahou Defensive Back Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen Commits To UNLV

BREAKING: Punahou Defensive Back Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen Commits To UNLV

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Assertive Kahuku Defense Takes Control In 29-17 Conquest Of Mililani

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Assertive Kahuku Defense Takes Control In 29-17

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Fueled By Ezra And Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona, Aiea Storms Past Kailua 41-0 And Into OIA D-I Title Game

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Fueled By Ezra And Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona, Aiea

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Two Defensive Stops Were Crucial In Mililani’s 39-29 OIA Semifinal Victory Over Campbell

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Two Defensive Stops Were Crucial In Mililani’s

SEE: 7 Videos And A Photo Gallery Of Kahuku’s 29-17 Football Win Over Mililani

SEE: 7 Videos And A Photo Gallery Of Kahuku’s 29-17

Implausible Rally Lifts Kaiser Over Pearl City 31-24 In OT And Into The OIA D-II Final And State Tournament

Implausible Rally Lifts Kaiser Over Pearl City 31-24 In OT

Related Post

Bedrock’s Friday Hawaii High School Football Scoreboard; 3 Games In, 1 Canceled

Bedrock’s Friday Hawaii High School Football Scoreboard; 3 Games In,

Four Hawaii high school football scores are in from Thursday and Friday night. One game — Honokaa at Keaau —

SEE: 6 Videos And A Photo Gallery Of Kahuku’s 16-6 Victory Over Campbell In the Slog Bowl

SEE: 6 Videos And A Photo Gallery Of Kahuku’s 16-6

—– When Kahuku slogged on the mucked-up Campbell field to a 16-6 victory on Saturday night in an OIA Open

Honokaa Dragons Football Team Page

Honokaa Dragons Football Team Page

Contents of the Honokaa Dragons Football Team Page: >> Coverage of the 2022 Honokaa Dragons football team >> The Dragons’

Saint Louis II Winds Up The Winner In Topsy-Turvy ILH Football Game

Saint Louis II Winds Up The Winner In Topsy-Turvy ILH

Trailing by one point in the fourth quarter, Saint Louis II scored three straight touchdowns and then held off Kamehameha

With ‘Diezel’ Power, Kahuku Gets It Done For Third Straight Open Football State Title

With ‘Diezel’ Power, Kahuku Gets It Done For Third Straight

With Kahuku’s backs firmly against the wall, Diezel Kamoku returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to give the

Hard-To-Spell WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala Makes A 3-Letter College Commitment: UCF

Hard-To-Spell WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala Makes A 3-Letter College Commitment: UCF

An image pops up in my head when someone mentions Titus Mokiao-Atimalala. It’s of a fleet-footed receiver getting separation on

Mililani Football Team To Visit Oregon’s 6A Runner-Up Sheldon High For A Sept. 1 Game

Mililani Football Team To Visit Oregon’s 6A Runner-Up Sheldon High

—– The Mililani football team will visit Sheldon High of Eugene, Oregon, for a Sept. 1 game. The Irish are

Hawaii High School Football And Other Sports Moved to January

Hawaii High School Football And Other Sports Moved to January

Public health and safety issues caused by COVID-19 are playing havoc with planners for the 2020-21 high school sports year.

Change Of Course: Hawaii’s Dillon Gabriel Will Transfer To Oklahoma Instead

Change Of Course: Hawaii’s Dillon Gabriel Will Transfer To Oklahoma

Dillon Gabriel is going to play football at Oklahoma, according to his Twitter feed. Gabriel, the former Mililani star, changed

Tevarua Tafiti And Tausili Akana Stack Up The D-1 College Football Offers In 808 Recruiting Mania

Tevarua Tafiti And Tausili Akana Stack Up The D-1 College

College football recruiting is a never-ending thing in football-crazed Hawaii. Every year, the Division I offers accumulate for some of

UPDATED: Aiea, Kailua, Farrington Qualify For OIA Division I Playoffs; All The WEEK 10 Scores And WEEK 11 Schedule

UPDATED: Aiea, Kailua, Farrington Qualify For OIA Division I Playoffs;

—– Note: This post has been updated to clarify playoff seeding. —– Aiea’s 52-35 OIA Division I victory over Castle

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Waipahu’s Liatama Uiliata Radiates 2-Way, Next-Level Talent

FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Waipahu’s Liatama Uiliata Radiates 2-Way, Next-Level Talent

—– A catch-all place for the sights and sounds, impressions and overheard things out in the field while covering the colorful

Bedrock Sports Hawaii Stories Emailed To Your Inbox:

Bedrock's YouTube Channel: