ESPN’s Mike Golic Jr. joined the Sportscene. He discussed various topics from Tom Brady to COVID-19 to social issues.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers
When asked about Tom Brady‘s season with the Bucs, Mike Golic Jr. said he thinks Brady will show improvement with the Bucs. With wide receivers like Mike Evans, Golic Jr thinks Brady is going to look much better than he did with New England last year.
He said he thinks the Bucs will see an improvement overall, especially with fewer turnovers taking pressure off the defense.
Football and COVID-19
Can football happen in the fall? The college and pro football worlds like to think there can be. College football is still trying to figure out its plan to have a season.
Golic Jr. said college football needs to give itself enough time to make the right decision. Golic Jr. said he thinks a lot of the decisions will be based on things out of the sport’s control.
As mentioned, the NFL remains firm in its want to have a season. The NFL recently agreed to safety protocols and some stadiums have announced capacity restrictions.
Golic Jr. said commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL are doing what they know how to do, and that is to push forward. He does believe that the NFL has the resources to test players. He thinks the league will see paying for all those tests as an investment in health and putting emphasis on health in the long term.
NFL Players and Social Issues
The NFL already has plans in place to publically address issues such as Black Lives Matter during week one. But what about the individual players? Do they feel comfortable talking about this issue? Golic Jr. said it depends on the players and their teammates.
Golic Jr. felt he was fortunate to have been in a locker room with good leadership during his playing days and he was able to talk about the issues. He said players might have a relationship that is strong enough to handle the weight of a conversation such as Black Lives Matter. He hopes players have these bonds that allow for these conversations.