James White among NFL players balking at prospect of game-day travel

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NFL teams are considering some bold measures as they attempt to play the 2020 season amid a global pandemic.

One of those measures isn't sitting well with players, though.

Several teams plan to fly to and from road games the day of the game rather than stay in hotels the night before, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Tuesday.

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That strategy makes sense from a health perspective, as teams staying overnight in different cities increases the risk of spreading COVID-19. But it's not ideal for players, who don't seem thrilled about the idea of waking up early on a game day to sit on a plane for a few hours before kickoff.

Just ask New England Patriots running back James White, who responded to Florio's report with a fitting emoji:

Denver Broncos running back (and White's former Wisconsin teammate) Melvin Gordon seemed to share White's sentiments:

White and Gordon weren't alone, either. A host of NFL stars bristled at Florio's report and insisted they want no part of game-day travel.

The Patriots' road slate includes games in Los Angeles (twice), Seattle, Kansas City, Houston and Miami, all of which are at least a three-hour flight away. That'd be a very long day for players, not to mention the possibility of weather potentially delaying flights to and from games.

Unless the U.S. can magically contain the coronavirus over the next two months, though, teams and players likely will have to make these kinds of sacrifices if they want the 2020 season to go on as scheduled. That means players will have to decide between very long game days or no game days at all.

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