JABBER WORK:

Earlier on Thursday, a league-wide memo was sent announcing there would be no rejiggering of its 17-game schedule to accommodate a possible COVID-19 outbreak, as first reported by the NFL Network's Tom Pellissero.

Instead, a team that can't suit up enough players would forfeit the game. If that wasn't enough incentive, no one on the team in question or their opponent that week would receive their paychecks. For a minimum-salaried NFL player, it would amount to about a $39,000 fine. Star players could be docked seven figures, some of whom invariably will have done nothing wrong.

Last month, the NFL waved a similarly menacing stick. During the 2021 season, unvaccinated players would be subject to greater restrictions than their vaccinated brethren--daily testing, physical restrictions both on the road and in team facilities, lengthy quarantines for exposure, no hanging out with teammates at various bars and hotspots, and more.

Despite league owners' conservative leanings and hefty GOP donations, when it comes to making sure their extremely valuable enterprise continues to chug along, those politics stop at the locker-room door. By whatever means necessary and in conjunction with the players' union, they're going to nudge their workforce into getting the jab.

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