Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle went off on Twitter about his concerns with coronavirus and starting the MLB season again on Monday.
Bear with me, but it feels like we’ve zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I’ll be looking for in the proposal…
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 11, 2020
The 16-tweet thread highlights everything from players health, to the long term effects of covid-19, and reports for other leagues. “There is still so much we do not know,” said Doolittle in one of his tweets, “So how many tests do we need to safely play during a pandemic?”
He also expressed concerns about players with pre-existing conditions that could be affected as well as potential unknown effects of the virus. (RELATED: Sean Doolittle Has A Weird Way Of Staying Calm During Games)
Hopefully these concerns will be addressed in MLB’s proposal, first and foremost: 1) what’s the plan to ethically acquire enough tests? 2) what’s the protocol if a player, staff member, or worker contracts the virus? We want to play. And we want everyone to stay safe.
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 11, 2020
Doolittle also shared an article with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, talking about the ways that the NFL had to test players before games. “Baseball players might not be in close contact during a game the way football players are, but there is a lot of shared space in a clubhouse among players, coaches and staff,” said Doolittle. Doolittle also said that the essential workers that would be supporting baseball operations needed to be included in the conversation as well. “We wouldn’t be able to play a season without them, and they deserve the same protections,” said Doolittle.
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. I’m going to turn my phone off now. Best of luck to my mentions. Stay safe. Keep washing your hands and wearing your masks. I hope we get to play baseball for you again soon.
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 11, 2020
Doolittle concluded his thread on twitter with an image that said “And another thing: im not mad. Don’t put in the newspaper that I got mad.”