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via Getty

via Getty

Players go through a lot of physical exertion in any sport they play, but that is particularly true for football athletes. And, when the league, instead of supporting the players’ cause, goes on to defy their struggles, it is hurting for athletes. Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is not on board with the NFL’s latest update. The league is discussing flexing some of its Sunday fixtures in 2023 to its Thursday Night Football slot. And this means some teams may have to play twice on Thursdays. However, a lot of sporting personalities have come in support of Mahomes and Giants Owner is one of them.

This seriously hampers the recovery process for players. And it wasn’t just Pat Mahomes who objected. Multiple NFL players voiced their concerns. In fact, the players even found New York Giants owner John Mara on their side.

Patrick Mahomes and others object to potential NFL rule change

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The Flexing discussions came up during the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix this week. Due to the lack of unanimity, the final decision will not be made until May this year. However, players are already letting their discontent known. 2x Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes expressed his frustration with a single emoji.

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Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III commented on Pat’s tweet. “So much for player safety,” he replied. Besides players getting sufficient rest, the fans, especially season-ticket holders, also find themselves in a sticky spot.

This flex scheduling proposal comes a year after Amazon Prime won the broadcasting rights to Thursday Night Football. However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denies any Amazon influence over this decision to have teams play twice in short weeks.

In response to Mahomes’ tweet, the Commissioner said, “I don’t think we are putting Amazon over our player interests. We’ve always been looking at the data with respect to injuries and impact on players. It doesn’t show a higher injury rate. I hear from a lot of players directly, too. They love the 10 days afterwards. In fact, they call it a mini-bye. So, there are benefits on that side. You have different views, you want to consider all of them. Players have different views, coaches have different views. We have to try to balance all that.

NY Giants owner calls the Flexing Proposal ‘Abusive’

I think it’s really inconsiderate to our ticket holders. To flex a game back to Thursday night, to me, is just abusive. I am adamantly opposed to it,” Big Blue president and co-owner John Mara, who is worth over $500 million, told reporters about Goodell’s proposal.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett also tweeted against the decision. “NFLPA, we gotta do something about it,” he said. Philly cornerback Darius Slay said, “H—l no, we need to take that s—-t away.”

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Besides the flex scheduling, the Annual Meeting also declared that players are now allowed to wear the No 0 jersey in the National Football League. And that seemed to take some of the negative attention away, albeit for a while, from the TNF madness.