The NFL has not released many details about how it plans to protect players from the threat of COVID-19, but it appears helmets could be modified to include masks.
According to Thom Mayer, the Players Association’s medical director, Oakley is under contract to make all face visors for the league, and it’s working with the NFL on a prototype to be used for the 2020 season.
Oakley hasn’t yet to released designs of what its face mask could look like but on Friday, former Jaguar Donald Payne took to Instagram to show off his new custom mask. The way the mask is fitted, it should be something that could be worn under a helmet.
Other brands like Under Armor have also released athletic-focused masks that they say will help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 without restricting athletes’ breathing.
When Under armor’s athletic mask went on sale, its CEO Patrik Frisk tweeted that the masks sold out in less than an hour.
With players scheduled to report to training camp in just over a month, we won’t have to wait much longer to get a look at what sort of masks players will be wearing on the football field.