A-Dog":3cbg4pxu said:
If you think about pre-existing conditions / co-morbidities (like obesity), a lot of linemen probably have them despite being pro athletes. A 300+ Pound man with Covid-related pneumonia is probably a pretty high risk. Don’t blame him at all, I would do the same thing.
Weight/ obesity isn't really the risk factor, it's a marker for the real risk factor of being out-of-shape and deconditioned. A better marker for this risk factor would be something like the ability to walk a 17 minute mile.
The typical 300 pound NFL lineman, who can run a sub-10-minute mile, isn't at high risk of morbidity and mortality from Covid. These guys can tolerate the hypoxia and the high demand on the heart brought about by a severe case of Covid.
The folks we are seeing being admitted for Covid are the people who get out of breath walking from the recliner to the refrigerator for their next snack, due to their obesity, and/or their underlying heart and lung disease.
A starting NFL lineman has less than a 0.1% chance of dying of Covid if they catch it. Probably on par with their risk of dying from flu, should they catch it. Of course Covid is more infectious, so they are a bit more likely to catch it in the first place.
The people at risk are the coaches. Lot's of truly, morbidly obese men who probably couldn't manage a 15 minute mile. There is also the risk of taking it home to extended family. The wives and children of the players are almost all at low risk, but their parents, etc, are likely at high risk.
