NFL, MLB Players Punished For Violating Safety Protocols During Coronavirus Pandemic

Professional athletes who don’t follow the safety protocols put in place by their respective leagues are being punished for breaking the rules as sports look to continue uninterrupted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Seattle Seahawks rookie Kemah Siverand discovered just how serious teams are about the guidelines when he was released earlier this week because he was caught trying to sneak a woman into his hotel room, according to reports. The woman wore Seahawks’ gear, NFL Network reported, in an attempt to disguise herself as a player.

Siverand violated the NFL-NFLPA Team Travel Protocol, which states, “room visits are permitted only by members of the traveling party.”

If Siverand were a better player, he might still be in training camp. He was undrafted out of Oklahoma State and possibly a long shot to make Seattle’s Week 1 roster.

That's not the case with two Cleveland Indians players.

Starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac were quarantined after leaving the team hotel and breaking curfew during a road trip in Chicago last week.

Clevinger entered the season expected to be one of Cleveland’s top pitchers. Plesac has been one of the best surprises in baseball, allowing just three runs in 21 innings pitched to start his second major-league season.

The Indians don’t believe the two players had contact with anyone who has COVID-19, but the team isn’t taking any chances. The league and the players’ association agreed to a new set of protocols in the wake of coronavirus outbreaks within the clubhouses of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.

Plesac posted a video on social media Thursday explaining that he went out to dinner with friends and returned late to the hotel after spending time in someone’s house. The 25-year-old placed blame on the media for portraying him in a negative light, but it’s his fellow teammates that appear to be most angered by his actions.

“They hurt us bad,” Indians pitcher Adam Plutko told reporters Wednesday. “They lied to us. They sat here in front of you guys and publicly said things that they didn't follow through on. It’s gonna be up to them. It really is. I'll let them sit here and tell you how they're gonna earn their trust back.”

Without an official bubble, which the NBA, WNBA and MLS all constructed in Florida, players in the MLB and NFL are taking it upon themselves to prevent a coronavirus outbreak within the locker room. The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints are creating their own version of a bubble, ESPN reports, staying at a hotel that is next to each team’s practice facility.

The NBA’s experiment at Disney World in Orlando, Florida hasn’t been without its obstacles. Early on, Sacramento Kings forward Richaun Holmes was forced to quarantine for 10 days after picking up an order of chicken wings beyond the border of the league’s bubble. Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams left Orlando with an excused absence, but the expected four-day quarantine upon his return was extended to 10 days when it was discovered that he went to an Atlanta strip club.

No NBA players in Orlando have tested positive for the coronavirus since mid-July.

The Marlins missed a week of games when at least 20 players and coaches tested positive for the coronavirus. The Cardinals are set to resume their schedule Saturday, having played only five games three weeks after Opening Day.