72 players in NFL test positive for coronavirus: Union

Seventy-two players in NFL have tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, as per the league's players union.

According to the NFL Players Association's major announcement, dozens of players have tested positive for the virus as of July 10. The total number was released in a database described as a "one-stop shop of information" for players, however, it's still unclear as to how many of the league's roughly 2,900 rostered players had been tested or how often.

The news comes amid the negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA regarding the terms and conditions of pre-season training and exhibition games.

As far as Players are concerned, they have requested more time to address fitness concerns and want no pre-season games in August.

NFLPA's president JC Tretter has accused the league of failing to prioritize player safety in the face of the pandemic. These accusations were made last week.

The NFL-NFLPA negotiations are in favour of 23-day training camp instead of the 48-day session before the first of two pre-season games, down from four in prior years. But Tretter has said that the league chiefs were risking if they fail to address the virus completely.

"Every decision this year that prioritizes normalcy over innovation, custom over science or even football over health, significantly reduces our chances of completing the full season," Tretter said.

"We don't want to merely return to work and have the season shut down before we even get started," he added.

(Inputs from AFP)