Russell Wilson isn’t going to let his obligations as an NFL player come before the safety of his family—especially his pregnant wife, Ciara.
In a transparent tweet, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback revealed that he has concerns about playing in the upcoming 2020 NFL season with the coronavirus pandemic still in full swing. He also wants to ensure the safety of his wife, Ciara, who is expected to give birth to their son very soon.
“I am concerned. My wife is pregnant. @NFL Training camp is about to start.. And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety,” Wilson shared on Twitter over the weekend. “We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones #WeWantToPlay.”
Based on data, Wilson has valid reasons to be concerned. Within the six months that coronavirus has been sweeping through the country, there have been more than 3.7 million cases counted and an estimated 137,000 Americans have died. While some states are seeing a downtick in COVID-19 cases, and great progress has been made toward developing a vaccine, states like Florida, Texas and Arizona are experiencing a surge in new cases. Anthony Fauci, M.D., the country’s top infectious disease expert, says that the United States could rack up as many as 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day unless social distancing and mask wearing are strictly enforced.
Recently, Ciara revealed in an interview with British Vogue that being pregnant during the pandemic has been an unusual experience for them. “I wanted to be really cautious,” she told the magazine. “I had a little ziplock bag of gloves for the appointment and then I had my mask. When I went from one room to the other, I switched to a new pair of gloves. When the image of the baby came on the screen, I FaceTimed Russ in the car so that he could see.”
So far, Wilson isn’t the only NFL player to speak on his concerns about being expected to play during a global pandemic. Several other players, including Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens, issued tweets asking the NFL to bring football back safely.