Richard Sherman echoes NFL coaches' skepticism of return-to-play plan

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Richard Sherman once again made his skepticism of the NFL's proposed return-to-play protocols clear Friday.

The 49ers cornerback, who's also the team's union representative in the NFL players association, echoed the thoughts of unnamed coaches who NFLPA president executive DeMaurice Smith said told him that the league's plan to get back on the field during the coronavirus pandemic won't work.

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The NFL and NFLPA currently are negotiating health and safety protocols ahead of training camps resuming later this month. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, the NFL can impose its own protocols. The Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, who are scheduled to play in the season opener on Sept. 10, reportedly will require players to report their facilities Monday in the absence of an agreement.

Smith said Friday on a conference call with reporters and NFLPA president JC Tretter that they want players to be tested daily in order to improve the chances of finishing the season. He said he doesn't think that preseason games will.

Tretter wrote on the NFLPA website earlier this month that the NFL "believes the virus will bend to football," and that the league's insistent on wanting to play two preseason games while being unwilling to follow the NFL-NFLPA committee's recommendation of a 48-day training-camp schedule ahead of the season. The NFLPA's 32 player representatives, including Sherman, unanimously voted against playing preseason games.

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Sherman echoed Tretter's thoughts last week, calling the league's plan to ban opponents' jersey swaps "NFL thinking in a nutshell" and disputing reports that the NFL and NFLPA were close to agreeing on health and safety protocols. He struck the same patient tone as he did Friday in the latter case, writing on Twitter that "all will be revealed."

Smith confirmed Friday that the NFL wants training camps to start as scheduled on July 28. Based on Sherman's doubts and those of his peers, there's a long way to go before that date becomes a reality. 

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