The Week that was in the MLL

I’m writing this on Medium so that it’s clear that this is my voice and my voice alone; I’m not speaking for anyone else.

I think there’s a lot to unpack about this week in the MLL, both good and bad. That’s all I’m going to try and do here. I’m going to strictly stick to information that’s been relayed and confirmed directly by multiple people on site in Annapolis, and I’m also only going to address the lacrosse and the health and safety portion of the event.

The lacrosse this week in the MLL was outstanding. The Bayhawks and Outlaws had an absolutely spectacular game on Wednesday (I’ve already rewatched it). Connecticut going from getting waxed in game one to getting hot and running off three straight wins into the postseason was a great story. John Grant Jr as player/coach in search of one last title was inspiring. The league’s black players continuing to ask for social justice and standing with Black Lives Matter with pregame demonstrations of support is exactly what lacrosse needs right now (the league should have done a lot more to amplify here but that’s a separate article). Lyle Thompson continues to put together highlight after highlight, and we as fans are fortunate to get to watch him play. The title game was extremely entertaining, with a shorthanded Boston team playing incredibly well in front of an out of his mind Nick Marrocco to beat a Denver team that was on a mission following last season. Bryce Wasserman was named MVP and had some really inspiring words.

The content from the MLL this week was great. The training camp video and highlights from day one were solid, the first person videos at practice were incredibly cool. Highlights were pumped out on social and with much better quality than in past years. From a digital content standpoint, the MLL took some serious leaps forward. And this was an area that people wanted to see improved for some time, so it was incredibly refreshing to scroll twitter and instagram and see high quality, well done stuff from MLL. Making that happen within a bubble is even better, so I’m looking forward to bigger and better content in 2021.

But by now it’s not news to anyone. The morning of what should have been the day of the semi-finals in the MLL playoffs, news broke that a player had tested positive for COVID-19. As the day went on, news would continue to trickle out that multiple players had tested positive, and the games themselves might be in doubt. Ultimately, the Bayhawks decided to pull out of the playoffs, as they were the team with the first confirmed case. The Connecticut Hammerheads, who had played Chesapeake the day before, pulled out of the playoffs as well. Getting to this point is a shame, as it taints the weeklong tournament which had been quite good to that point, and asterisks the championship since it was played by literally the last two teams in town.

MLL players who were participating needed to test negative for COVID-19 prior to travelling to Annapolis. All players did so, although for some it came down to getting results at the last minute. However, the amount of time between the negative test and the travel to Annapolis was different for all players, as was the mode of travel. Some took flights, drove, etc. Players were permitted to take Uber/Lyft rides to and from the airport if they flew. Brian Phipps told the Capital Gazette his last COVID test prior to travel was July 6, and Grant Maloof tested over July 4 weekend. In both cases, results took about a week to come back. That still leaves a week prior to training camps start in Annapolis. It’s feasible that a player might test negative and not travel to Annapolis for another week or more, and in that time and while traveling might catch COVID-19.

Players were not tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. Physicals were given, and symptoms were checked and monitored, but an actual test for COVID upon arrival was not administered to all players. A test would however be given to a player with elevated temperature, or who had become symptomatic.

For media, a negative test was required. A media member just had to show a negative test, and they could be admitted, even if time had passed between a negative result and the date they were on site, Morgan Crutchfield said via twitter. Temperature checks were done, but I spoke with media members who said the person taking their temperature upon entrance wasn’t wearing a mask.

The bubble was essentially the Westin, which was by many accounts from players pretty great. The facilities were top notch, they had a field attached to the Westin they could use to work out in down time, quality food and drink provided, all good stuff. Most any player I spoke to had zero complaints about the Westin or staying in it for a week. They felt they were being treated in a first class way and had outstanding accommodations. There was also a “Bud Light Tent” where players could unwind after games in a setting that’s socially distanced, and players wore masks except when drinking. All of this is a good environment the league put together, and speaks to that camp feel that we saw a number of players speak to during the week. A scroll through players social media posts, and you’ll see a vast majority of them with nothing but praise for their team and that experience.

However, there were players who left the bubble. Some went to bars or out to eat at places that were not part of the bubble. Some just went to Target. It wasn’t many, but it happened. Mid week, there was communication from the league asking people to stop leaving the bubble. The messaging was that the league would provide anything needed, players did not need to leave to go get things themselves. Obviously to me this suggests that the league was aware of people, including players, breaking protocol.

This is, in my estimation, where things take the biggest turn for the worse. It’s known that players were leaving, so those players need to be identified and quarantined. Period. People coming and going from the “bubble” doesn’t make it a bubble at all. Players that leave should lose the right to play and be isolated pending negative COVID-19 tests, or just be outright disqualified and isolated before they go home. That’s what it takes to have a COVID free event.

All this leads to a positive test Friday night, from a player who had begun to feel symptomatic. More Bayhawks players tested positive the next day, and the rest is history. At that point the Lizards and Barrage had already left Annapolis.

After the Bayhawks and Hammerheads had left, there was a statement released by the league saying they had “forfeit”. Naturally, players and coaches alike from both teams, and from the teams that stayed, took issue with that wording. Denver Outlaws President Matt Bocklet weighed in on twitter, adding that he had nothing but respect for both Chesapeake and Connecticut.

To forfeit means, “lose or be deprived of (property or a right or privilege) as a penalty for wrongdoing.” Chesapeake and Connecticut decided not to stay because the health and safety of these players, and the loved ones they are going home to, outweighed lacrosse for the rest of the weekend. Players and coaches from both teams took to social media to take issue with saying forfeit, but it was then repeated during the broadcast of the championship game on Sunday. Players on these teams have children, spouses, live with people who may be high risk, are high risk themselves, or will need to return to their day job. They simply can’t afford the level of risk they’d be assuming by staying. Nothing about making that choice is a forfeit.

There was plenty that went well for the MLL this week. Quality games, compelling storylines, and solid content being pushed out added up to an elevated product from the MLL. But in my eyes there were shortcomings related to health and safety, and those were manifested in the last 48 hours of the week, and that’s going to leave a black spot on the 2020 summer.