Nevius: Sanctimonious lectures not helping 49ers’ plight

It wasn’t the smuggest thing I ever heard. But it was definitely up there.

When Santa Clara County blindsided the 49ers with a ban on contact sports to control the coronavirus, it meant the team had to find a new place to practice with virtually no notice. The solution, moving to Arizona, was pretty much a fire drill.

Which is why Kyle Shanahan said it was “extremely disappointing” not to get a heads-up from the county, instead of finding out “through a tweet or a press release.”

The Press Democrat’s Inside the 49ers blog

This prompted a huffy response from Santa Clara County executive Dr. Jeff Smith. Smith essentially said the COVID crisis was such a clear and obvious danger that superfluous groups like sports teams should pipe down and follow the rules. He said it was “hard for me to believe” the 49ers were surprised by the news because they should have seen how cases were spiking and hospitals were filling up.

All right, let’s talk about this.

First, just to be clear, if the medical experts decide they should close down the county, it should be closed. Santa Clara may have gone beyond others, but that’s up to them. Follow the science. We may all be shut-ins soon if the virus doesn’t let up.

But then Dr. Jeff decided to deliver a little gridiron lecture.

“One might envision a reemergence of team-building,” he said, “if the teams spent their time building a COVID relief fund for the community, rather than trying to put the community at more risk.”

OK, Jeff, a couple of things. First, the NFL is a billion-dollar American industry. Its games are the most-watched programming on television, with tens of millions of viewers every weekend. And, although we’re not supposed to dwell on it, there are hundreds of thousands of gamblers who bet millions on every game.

In other words, this ain’t the youth soccer fields.

Second, I am not sure what you are suggesting here. To call off the rest of the season so the players can spend “their time building a COVID relief fund?” Sure, maybe they could stand on the corner and ring a bell for donations.

Also, you ho-hum the 49ers’ gripes, saying you “notified thousands of businesses impacted in the community.”

Really? And how many of those businesses involve contact sports?

Because that’s what this is, a specific ban on “collegiate and professional contact sports.” And we should say that both the Stanford and San Jose State football programs have also had to relocate.

I don’t know what those other businesses were, but these three could certainly have benefited from a little early notice. Surely there were discussions about this. Couldn’t the football programs have been kept informed that this was a possibility?

Unfortunately, this looks like a continuation of the snipe-fest between the 49ers and the city and county of Santa Clara. From Jed York spending millions to pack the city council to complaints that the 49ers want to turn the city into “Yorkville,” there’s been plenty of accelerant poured on that fire.

You two need to see a marriage counselor. That big stadium isn’t going anywhere. Santa Clara isn’t getting any roomier. You’re going to have to get along.

One more thing. There was more than a hint of condescension in Smith’s remarks. He snarked that “Historically, sportsmanship has been about building a team and protecting a team.” Football, he implied, is not doing that and not taking the virus seriously.

I don’t think that is true on any level. I think the players and staff are acutely aware of the risk they are taking. Unlike many of us, they’ve seen their co-workers test positive for COVID and have probably been in close contact with them.

They are continuing to play ― and no, I am not convinced that is a good idea ― because the league insists on playing these games. The players are knowingly putting themselves at risk. Maybe it is for the money. Maybe it is for the glory. But it isn’t because they don’t understand the threat.

It isn’t easy. Last week Raheem Mostert got choked up during an interview, talking about how much he missed his wife and two small sons (one a newborn.) They made the decision that it would be safer if the family stayed back in Ohio, while he “sacrificed to make a living for them.”

Also, it is the nature of the game to put your health at risk. The game is dangerous. The players have always had to calculate that it is worth the gamble to play, even if there is a chance of serious injury or, now, coronavirus.

I keep thinking back to last Sunday’s game. At the end of a play, Jamar Taylor, a defensive back, caught his foot in the artificial turf. His knee bent back, he went down and the TV broadcast went to commercial.

When we returned, Taylor was being taken off the field on a medical cart. He was in tears.

He already knew. He’d torn his ACL. It will take nearly a year to rehab and by then there’s no telling where a 31-year-old cornerback, who has played for seven teams, might end up. Maybe out of football.

(In a classy moment in his weekly presser, Nick Mullens ― unprompted ― offered condolences and best wishes to Taylor.)

Coincidentally, Taylor was among the players chosen to be interviewed the week before the game. He was asked about his playing time.

“It is really just about enjoying the moment,” he said. “Because you never know when it is going to be taken away from you.”

Five days later, it was.

Dr. Smith may be right about limiting contact. But spare us the lecture. Nobody thinks this isn’t serious.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius