With another Titans player testing positive for COVID-19 and the threat of a second straight game for Tennessee being delayed due to positive coronavirus tests, the NFL continues to scramble for solutions in a season that quite frankly should’ve never have taken place.
Could that solution though from the NFL be a forced forfeit for the Titans?
Earlier this week as the NFL came face-to-face with their own COVID-19 crisis commissioner Roger Goodell informed teams that any coronavirus outbreak on teams caused by a failure to follow League protocols could result in a forfeited game. The Titans could certainly fall within that set of guidelines as the team has reportedly committed multiple COVID violations, however, as of Wednesday according to Judy Battista of NFL Media, a forced forfeit by the League still hasn’t been discussed.
As far as those violations, one, in particular, happened when Titans players got together for practice during a time when the NFL ordered teams not to conduct activities that involved physical contact while the League and NFLPA inspected and oversaw the cleaning of facilities while investigating any potential wrongdoings, per Titans insider Paul Kuharsky.
Obviously aside from the precedent, a forced forfeit would set in today’s COVID age, the NFL would have to mull over some issues that could come as a result of their decision. First, does the CBS get a refund for a game that wouldn’t be televised, and second, would Bills and Titans players be paid?
Some have suggested that the players already have agreed to not be paid for games not played. The language of the August 3 letter agreement, however, mentions only games that are “cancelled or suspended” and that aren’t played later in the year. The NFL Players Association could, and should, argue that the players have not agreed to surrender game checks in the event of a forfeit.
Indeed, the official rulebook contemplates the possibility of a forfeit, providing in Rule 11, Section 1, Article 1 that the final score of a forfeited game will be 2-0. In a normal year, no one ever would suggest that players shouldn’t be paid for a forfeited game. So why would they not be paid for a forfeit in 2020, especially when the agreement allowing the league to withhold pay for games “cancelled or suspended” does not expressly include forfeits, which necessarily are different from a cancellation or suspension, because a forfeited game goes into the standings with a winner and a loser?
Because of the possibility of losing money to CBS and players for a game not played you can bet the NFL will do everything in its power to make sure the Titans and Bills happen in some way, shape, or form. If that means adding an extra week or pitting the game in the middle of the week sometime down the road you can sure bet the NFL will explore any of those possibilities. Nonetheless, it was the NFL who ultimately decided to move forward with a season that didn’t include a bubble that was successfully implemented by the NBA, NHL, and WNBA meaning they in some sense are responsible for shit like this happening.
If it’s not a forfeit though, the Titans can certainly expect massive fines and potentially a loss of draft picks which seems more likely at this point.
