While government and the private sector race to find a medical cure for the coronavirus, some NFL teams are reportedly implementing a legal remedy for the contractual problems presented by players who are infected.
“NFL teams are placing coronavirus-related provisions in their contracts stating that a failed physical will result in forfeited signing bonus money, league sources told ESPN.”
Issues with the new regulation, however, could come into play if the player doesn’t receive a physical for an extended period of time due to travel restrictions associated with the virus.
As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explains:
If a player signs a three-year, $30-million contract with a $10 million signing bonus this week, for example, but fails a physical in June, he could lose the $10 million and be bound to a three-year, $20-million deal, potentially.
It’s uncertain how many teams are drawing this hard line, but several sources have encountered the provision when finalizing contracts over the past two days.
In a typical NFL year, a physical is necessary to consummate a deal. This year, many players are signing the deals and hoping for the best.
The league is providing one avenue around the new restrictions by allowing players to receive physicals from independent doctors.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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