usatoday--2020-09-01--Sentenced under now-invalid drug laws and less than a year from freedom, inmate gets COVID-19

By the time prison officials told William Forrester he had COVID-19 , he 'd already lost his sense of taste and smell .
The persistent headaches , body tremors and diarrhea had already begun .
On his worst days , his stomach cramps were so bad he couldn ’ t stand , his back pain so severe he couldn ’ t sit up to eat .
He said he had to ask a fellow inmate to scoop coffee for him because his hands trembled so badly .
One day , he found himself lying on the shower floor as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head felt like it was filled with air .
This is particularly troubling for Forrester , a 63-year-old who lost one lung nearly two decades ago to cancer .
Forrester has spent more than a decade in a Florida state prison for faking opioid prescriptions for himself during a yearslong addiction to painkillers following a lung operation .
His 15-year sentence was a product of mandatory minimum laws crafted years ago to fight the state 's drug epidemic .
Nationwide , mandatory minimums require judges to hand down predetermined and often lengthy sentences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are nonviolent drug offenses .
But advocates and legal experts say the harsh sentences treated those addicted to drugs , like Forrester , as if they were violent drug kingpins .
Less than a year away from freedom , imprisoned under laws that have since been changed , Forrester fears he 'll die before he is free .
`` I hope I ’ m not doing a death sentence , '' he said .
In the federal system , more than 7,500 prisoners have been moved out of prison after Attorney General William @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable inmates to home confinement .
Among those who have been allowed to serve the rest of their sentences under house arrest amid coronavirus fears were high-profile criminals such as President Donald Trump 's former campaign manager Paul Manafort .
But critics say the federal Bureau of Prisons has been slow to implement Barr 's directives and still has left other nonviolent but less connected prisoners behind bars .
In the case of Forrester , a state prisoner , he applied for a furlough or a temporary release , but his request was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus was Paul Manafort 's ticket home .
Many other old , ill , nonviolent inmates are still in prison Forrester is not alone There are many like Forrester in Florida ’ s criminal justice system .
A 2019 report from the state Department of Corrections showed that nearly 14,000 prisoners – 14 % of the prison population – are serving time for drug offenses .
The report does not distinguish violent prisoners from the nonviolent ones , or inmates serving time for opioid-related crimes from those who trafficked cocaine or heroin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opioid-related offenses led to a dramatic uptick in the prison population from 2006 to 2011 .
In fiscal 2010-11 alone , 1,200 prisoners were serving time for opioid-related crimes ; 81 % had no previous drug offenses and 65 % needed substance abuse treatments , according to the report by Florida ’ s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability .
In the federal system , mandatory minimum sentences have dropped significantly since the 1990s , although they continue to result in long punishments for thousands of federal inmates .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 20,000 federal cases in 2019 involved mandatory minimum punishments .
A large majority of which – more than 70 % – involved drug trafficking offenses .
Forrester tested positive for COVID-19 on July 13 .
He 's doing better now and assumes he 's negative , though he has n't been retested .
Still , in the close quarters of a prison , he fears getting the virus again is inevitable .
The possibility of reinfection , experts have said , is real .
Forrester has heard of other prisoners who died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many times can I catch the virus and survive ?
So far , 340 prisoners at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Panama City , Florida , where Forrester is incarcerated , have tested positive .
Of the more than 95,000 prisoners in Florida , 15,500 or about 16 % have COVID-19 – an infection rate far exceeding the federal prison system 's .
The Florida Department of Corrections said it has suspended visitation , limited transfers between facilities , and staggered meal times to allow for social distancing at dining areas to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Symptomatic prisoners are placed in medical isolation , and officials conduct contact tracing for every positive case , the department said .
GEO Group , a private corporation that operates Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility and a few other prisons in Florida , said it has started mass COVID-19 testing , distributed face masks to inmates and asked staffers to self-quarantine if they had contact with other employees with coronavirus .
Isolated and scared : The plight of juveniles locked up during the coronavirus pandemic Forrester was convicted in 2009 for trafficking 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs by fraud .
Although there was no evidence that Forrester sold drugs , the weight of the pills triggered a drug trafficking charge – punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years .
Under Florida law , had Forrester sold 200 grams of cocaine or methamphetamine , he would ’ ve been sentenced to just seven years .
Such was the result of laws passed to crack down on drug traffickers that have since ensnared those addicted to drugs .
`` The quintessential drug trafficker that the legislature had in mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shooting people in the neighborhood , '' said Janet Ferris , a retired Florida judge .
`` The reality in most communities is it ’ s not . ''
Acknowledging that sentencing laws had gone too far , the Florida Legislature in 2014 raised the threshold weights that would trigger mandatory sentences .
Advocates heralded the change as a `` common sense '' law that would cut the number of nonviolent offenders sent to prison for lengthy sentences .
But the law isn ’ t retroactive , and bills to make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forrester been convicted after the law was passed , he would ’ ve been sentenced to seven years .
He would 've been out by now .
'It gets more frightening ' : As coronavirus surges in prisons , families of elderly inmates wait in fear Harsh sentencing laws are not unique to Florida , although the state has increasingly become an outlier for having stringent mandatory minimum sentences , said Nancy Daniels , of the Florida Public Defender Association .
Judges , faced with defendants like Forrester , have no choice but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't believe were fair .
The judge who sentenced Forrester to 15 years acknowledged as much .
`` We get the addicted , and we get the organized crime , all treated the same under the wording of the Legislature , '' Judge Roger McDonald said during Forrester ’ s sentencing hearing in December 2009 , according to court transcripts .
`` But since the Legislature is the Legislature and the Court is the Court , we have to enforce the laws , and we ’ re stuck with them , and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t exist . ''
Ferris said she often felt helpless when she had to face defendants in her courtroom , many of whom were young , first-time offenders .
`` I did not have the opportunity in many instances to do what I thought was in the interest of justice .
And that is a really , really troubling feeling , '' she said .
`` When people come into the courtroom and say , 'Judge , I ’ m asking for justice ' and you know what they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone , ' I ’ m sorry I can ’ t do justice in this case because the legislature has enacted a mandatory sentencing law , I have to follow that . '
'' In 2002 , as he was visiting his grandmother in Bradenton , Florida , Forrester received sobering news .
There were cancerous tumors in his left lung and he would likely die , he remembered his doctor telling him on the phone .
Multiple surgeries to remove his lung seemed to have stretched his life , but he spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hospital .
Several visits were because of pneumonia .
That 's on top of a litany of other health problems : chronic headaches , chest and lower back pain , sleep apnea , strokes and panic attacks .
He had more surgeries to fix chronic spine issues .
All the while , he said , he was prescribed huge doses of pain killers .
He 'd spent much of his working years in telecommunications , first as a repairman in Florida , then as a pipeline controller in Oklahoma , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When his addiction got worse , he said he relied on disability benefits to help make ends meet .
As his health problems worsened , so did his addiction .
He was often at doctors ' offices and pain clinics , receiving prescriptions for dozens , if not hundreds of milligrams of various opioid medications , including MS Contin , methadone pills , oxycodone , morphine , hydromorphine , muscle relaxants and Marinol for his loss of appetite .
`` I was given hydrocodones by the hundreds , '' he said , referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I soon realized that out of all the other life-threatening problems I had gone through , I was now in the middle of the most deadly , a big dependence on and addiction to opioids . ''
A pain management doctor testified at Forrester 's sentencing hearing that some of the doses Forrester had been prescribed were too much .
The morphine dose Forrester had been getting from another doctor `` was a little bit high , '' Dr. Gwinn Murray testified , according to court transcripts .
The last time Murray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in his oxycodone prescription because his pain had not gone away .
Murray , who believed patients should rely less on medication and more on other means to deal with their pain , denied the request , according to transcripts .
After his medications were cut back , Forrester said he began faking prescriptions .
The less drugs he got , the more he felt he needed them , and the more he resorted to illegal means to get them .
The more drugs he got , the worse his life became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life support after an accidental overdose .
Other times , he said he woke up on his couch as medics were administering a shot of Narcan to reverse the effect of the drugs he ’ d taken .
`` My whole personality changed , '' he said .
`` I no longer knew myself , and all that mattered was feeding this addiction that had control over me . ''
Law enforcement officials , including prosecutors and sheriffs , have opposed changes to mandatory minimum sentences , concerned that easing punishments could lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of drugs in communities .
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said mandatory minimums provide consistency in punishments and avoid instances in which sentences for the same crimes vary from judge to judge or county to county .
`` Mandatory minimums are designed to provide the appropriate consequences for people that are selling drugs and trafficking drugs , '' said Gualtieri , immediate past president of the Florida Sheriff 's Association .
Still , Gualtieri said drug laws `` were never intended and should not have encompassed people who were addicts and users .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic is upending the criminal justice system In Broward County , prosecutors have started easing sentences for several defendants convicted of opioid trafficking .
Citing the changes the legislature made in 2014 , prosecutors have recommended reduced prison sentences for two dozen defendants .
Nineteen people have been released , and four are scheduled to be set free in the next four years , said Broward Chief Assistant State Attorney Jeff Marcus .
Another defendant died before his release papers were processed .
`` We believe it was an issue of fundamental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and reduce the sentences when appropriate , '' Marcus said in a statement .
One problem in Florida is the lack of a cohesive vision for what the criminal justice system should look like , said state Sen. Jeff Brandes , a Republican from St. Petersburg .
`` The real question is whether you ’ re going to use data and research to make decisions , or whether you ’ re going to trust that the legislature of the past always got it right , '' said Brandes , who 's been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has been calling for giving judges more discretion .
`` Fundamentally , should we treat addiction as a health issue or a criminal justice issue ? ''
Long prison sentences for such offenders does more harm than good , a belief that Brandes said Republicans and Democrats should share .
`` Criminal justice reform is a bipartisan issue , '' he said .
`` Democrats come to it from a social justice side .
Republicans come to it from a public safety and fiscal conservatism side . ''
‘ I dream about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front door ’ Forrester remembers clearly the day he was convicted by a jury .
He thought he was about to cry as officers escorted him out of the courtroom , but the tears didn ’ t come .
When he was finally alone , sitting on a floor in a holding cell , they did .
`` I felt like my heart had totally been crushed , '' he said .
`` I prayed to Jesus to please help me what to know , what to do next . ''
Years later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forrester , asked the state ’ s Executive Clemency Board to release him early .
`` At the time of the sentencing and even today I believe that the sentence was excessive given the crime , his criminal history and the involvement of addiction in his life , '' McDonald wrote in a 2018 letter to the board .
Had it not been for mandatory sentencing laws , McDonald said he would 've imposed a far more lenient sentence : three years in prison , two years on probation and drug treatment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comment on Forrester 's clemency application , saying the information is confidential .
The commission publishes a database of people who have been granted clemency ; Forrester 's name is not in the database .
It seemed to Forrester , `` no one is listening . ''
`` If they are listening , '' he said , `` then they just don ’ t care . ''
Forrester says he spends his days reading the Bible , playing games he bought for his tablet provided by the prison , and exchanging emails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will live after he 's released .
In the mornings , he meditates and prays .
Over the years , he 's gathered about a dozen certificates , including several from dog training programs that allowed prisoners to become trained handlers and another after completing a substance abuse program .
His symptoms have abated , but the fear of dying before seeing the outside of a prison wall , has n't .
He looks forward to going back home to Orlando , to his pets that are still alive and to a friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these years . ''
`` I dream about the day I walk up to my front door , '' he said , `` and go inside where I can feel safe again . ''
'It would cripple us completely ' : Coronavirus takes toll on rural police agencies

Sentenced under now-invalid drug laws and less than a year from freedom, inmate gets COVID-19
Show Caption Hide Caption Why people of color are dying at higher rates from COVID-19 Communities of color are dying at higher rates from the novel coronavirus than white Americans. Here's how structural inequities play a role. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
By the time prison officials told William Forrester he had COVID-19, he'd already lost his sense of taste and smell. The persistent headaches, body tremors and diarrhea had already begun.
On his worst days, his stomach cramps were so bad he couldn’t stand, his back pain so severe he couldn’t sit up to eat. He said he had to ask a fellow inmate to scoop coffee for him because his hands trembled so badly.
One day, he found himself lying on the shower floor as he struggled to catch his breath. His head felt like it was filled with air. This is particularly troubling for Forrester, a 63-year-old who lost one lung nearly two decades ago to cancer.
Forrester has spent more than a decade in a Florida state prison for faking opioid prescriptions for himself during a yearslong addiction to painkillers following a lung operation.
His 15-year sentence was a product of mandatory minimum laws crafted years ago to fight the state's drug epidemic. Nationwide, mandatory minimums require judges to hand down predetermined and often lengthy sentences for certain crimes, many of which are nonviolent drug offenses. But advocates and legal experts say the harsh sentences treated those addicted to drugs, like Forrester, as if they were violent drug kingpins.
Less than a year away from freedom, imprisoned under laws that have since been changed, Forrester fears he'll die before he is free.
"I hope I’m not doing a death sentence," he said.
William Barr speeds release of vulnerable inmates as coronavirus surges Attorney General William Barr has ordered the release of vulnerable inmates from three federal prisons. Buzz60
In the federal system, more than 7,500 prisoners have been moved out of prison after Attorney General William Barr ordered officials to transfer elderly and vulnerable inmates to home confinement. Among those who have been allowed to serve the rest of their sentences under house arrest amid coronavirus fears were high-profile criminals such as President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
But critics say the federal Bureau of Prisons has been slow to implement Barr's directives and still has left other nonviolent but less connected prisoners behind bars.
In the case of Forrester, a state prisoner, he applied for a furlough or a temporary release, but his request was denied.
Elderly in coronavirus-ridden prisons: Coronavirus was Paul Manafort's ticket home. Many other old, ill, nonviolent inmates are still in prison
Forrester is not alone
There are many like Forrester in Florida’s criminal justice system.
A 2019 report from the state Department of Corrections showed that nearly 14,000 prisoners – 14% of the prison population – are serving time for drug offenses. The report does not distinguish violent prisoners from the nonviolent ones, or inmates serving time for opioid-related crimes from those who trafficked cocaine or heroin.
But a government report found that prosecution of opioid-related offenses led to a dramatic uptick in the prison population from 2006 to 2011. In fiscal 2010-11 alone, 1,200 prisoners were serving time for opioid-related crimes; 81% had no previous drug offenses and 65% needed substance abuse treatments, according to the report by Florida’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability.
In the federal system, mandatory minimum sentences have dropped significantly since the 1990s, although they continue to result in long punishments for thousands of federal inmates. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, nearly 20,000 federal cases in 2019 involved mandatory minimum punishments. A large majority of which – more than 70% – involved drug trafficking offenses.
Incarcerated with COVID-19
Forrester tested positive for COVID-19 on July 13. He's doing better now and assumes he's negative, though he hasn't been retested.
Still, in the close quarters of a prison, he fears getting the virus again is inevitable. The possibility of reinfection, experts have said, is real. Forrester has heard of other prisoners who died of COVID-19 and asks himself: How many times can I catch the virus and survive?
So far, 340 prisoners at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Panama City, Florida, where Forrester is incarcerated, have tested positive.
Of the more than 95,000 prisoners in Florida, 15,500 or about 16% have COVID-19 – an infection rate far exceeding the federal prison system's.
The Florida Department of Corrections said it has suspended visitation, limited transfers between facilities, and staggered meal times to allow for social distancing at dining areas to stem the spread of the virus. Symptomatic prisoners are placed in medical isolation, and officials conduct contact tracing for every positive case, the department said.
GEO Group, a private corporation that operates Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility and a few other prisons in Florida, said it has started mass COVID-19 testing, distributed face masks to inmates and asked staffers to self-quarantine if they had contact with other employees with coronavirus.
Isolated and scared: The plight of juveniles locked up during the coronavirus pandemic
Not the ‘quintessential drug trafficker’
Forrester was convicted in 2009 for trafficking 14 grams or more of oxycodone and obtaining drugs by fraud. Although there was no evidence that Forrester sold drugs, the weight of the pills triggered a drug trafficking charge – punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.
Under Florida law, had Forrester sold 200 grams of cocaine or methamphetamine, he would’ve been sentenced to just seven years. Such was the result of laws passed to crack down on drug traffickers that have since ensnared those addicted to drugs.
OPIOIDS & COVID: Clinton Foundation works to put naloxone in recovery homes
"The quintessential drug trafficker that the legislature had in mind is a 'thug,' running around and shooting people in the neighborhood," said Janet Ferris, a retired Florida judge. "The reality in most communities is it’s not."
Acknowledging that sentencing laws had gone too far, the Florida Legislature in 2014 raised the threshold weights that would trigger mandatory sentences. Advocates heralded the change as a "common sense" law that would cut the number of nonviolent offenders sent to prison for lengthy sentences.
But the law isn’t retroactive, and bills to make it retroactive have so far failed. Had Forrester been convicted after the law was passed, he would’ve been sentenced to seven years. He would've been out by now.
'It gets more frightening': As coronavirus surges in prisons, families of elderly inmates wait in fear
Harsh sentencing laws are not unique to Florida, although the state has increasingly become an outlier for having stringent mandatory minimum sentences, said Nancy Daniels, of the Florida Public Defender Association.
Judges, faced with defendants like Forrester, have no choice but to impose lengthy sentences that they didn't believe were fair. The judge who sentenced Forrester to 15 years acknowledged as much.
"We get the addicted, and we get the organized crime, all treated the same under the wording of the Legislature," Judge Roger McDonald said during Forrester’s sentencing hearing in December 2009, according to court transcripts. "But since the Legislature is the Legislature and the Court is the Court, we have to enforce the laws, and we’re stuck with them, and we can’t carve out exceptions that don’t exist."
Ferris said she often felt helpless when she had to face defendants in her courtroom, many of whom were young, first-time offenders.
"I did not have the opportunity in many instances to do what I thought was in the interest of justice. And that is a really, really troubling feeling," she said. "When people come into the courtroom and say, 'Judge, I’m asking for justice' and you know what they’re saying is correct … To say to someone, 'I’m sorry I can’t do justice in this case because the legislature has enacted a mandatory sentencing law, I have to follow that.'"
A life of pain and addiction
In 2002, as he was visiting his grandmother in Bradenton, Florida, Forrester received sobering news. There were cancerous tumors in his left lung and he would likely die, he remembered his doctor telling him on the phone.
Multiple surgeries to remove his lung seemed to have stretched his life, but he spent the next few years in and out of the hospital. Several visits were because of pneumonia. That's on top of a litany of other health problems: chronic headaches, chest and lower back pain, sleep apnea, strokes and panic attacks. He had more surgeries to fix chronic spine issues.
All the while, he said, he was prescribed huge doses of pain killers.
He'd spent much of his working years in telecommunications, first as a repairman in Florida, then as a pipeline controller in Oklahoma, then back to Florida as a dispatcher. When his addiction got worse, he said he relied on disability benefits to help make ends meet.
As his health problems worsened, so did his addiction. He was often at doctors' offices and pain clinics, receiving prescriptions for dozens, if not hundreds of milligrams of various opioid medications, including MS Contin, methadone pills, oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphine, muscle relaxants and Marinol for his loss of appetite.
"I was given hydrocodones by the hundreds," he said, referring to refillable prescriptions for 100 pills. "I soon realized that out of all the other life-threatening problems I had gone through, I was now in the middle of the most deadly, a big dependence on and addiction to opioids."
A pain management doctor testified at Forrester's sentencing hearing that some of the doses Forrester had been prescribed were too much. The morphine dose Forrester had been getting from another doctor "was a little bit high," Dr. Gwinn Murray testified, according to court transcripts.
The last time Murray saw Forrester, Forrester asked for an increase in his oxycodone prescription because his pain had not gone away. Murray, who believed patients should rely less on medication and more on other means to deal with their pain, denied the request, according to transcripts.
After his medications were cut back, Forrester said he began faking prescriptions. The less drugs he got, the more he felt he needed them, and the more he resorted to illegal means to get them. The more drugs he got, the worse his life became.
Twice, Forrester woke up on life support after an accidental overdose. Other times, he said he woke up on his couch as medics were administering a shot of Narcan to reverse the effect of the drugs he’d taken.
"My whole personality changed," he said. "I no longer knew myself, and all that mattered was feeding this addiction that had control over me."
A health issue or a criminal justice issue?
Law enforcement officials, including prosecutors and sheriffs, have opposed changes to mandatory minimum sentences, concerned that easing punishments could lead to rising crime rates and the spread of drugs in communities.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said mandatory minimums provide consistency in punishments and avoid instances in which sentences for the same crimes vary from judge to judge or county to county.
"Mandatory minimums are designed to provide the appropriate consequences for people that are selling drugs and trafficking drugs," said Gualtieri, immediate past president of the Florida Sheriff's Association.
Still, Gualtieri said drug laws "were never intended and should not have encompassed people who were addicts and users."
'Complete chaos': How the coronavirus pandemic is upending the criminal justice system
In Broward County, prosecutors have started easing sentences for several defendants convicted of opioid trafficking. Citing the changes the legislature made in 2014, prosecutors have recommended reduced prison sentences for two dozen defendants. Nineteen people have been released, and four are scheduled to be set free in the next four years, said Broward Chief Assistant State Attorney Jeff Marcus. Another defendant died before his release papers were processed.
"We believe it was an issue of fundamental fairness to initiate a review of these cases and reduce the sentences when appropriate," Marcus said in a statement.
One problem in Florida is the lack of a cohesive vision for what the criminal justice system should look like, said state Sen. Jeff Brandes, a Republican from St. Petersburg.
"The real question is whether you’re going to use data and research to make decisions, or whether you’re going to trust that the legislature of the past always got it right," said Brandes, who's been leading the effort to change sentencing laws and has been calling for giving judges more discretion. "Fundamentally, should we treat addiction as a health issue or a criminal justice issue?"
Long prison sentences for such offenders does more harm than good, a belief that Brandes said Republicans and Democrats should share.
"Criminal justice reform is a bipartisan issue," he said. "Democrats come to it from a social justice side. Republicans come to it from a public safety and fiscal conservatism side."
‘I dream about the day I walk up to my front door’
Forrester remembers clearly the day he was convicted by a jury. He thought he was about to cry as officers escorted him out of the courtroom, but the tears didn’t come. When he was finally alone, sitting on a floor in a holding cell, they did.
"I felt like my heart had totally been crushed," he said. "I prayed to Jesus to please help me what to know, what to do next."
Years later, McDonald, the judge who sentenced Forrester, asked the state’s Executive Clemency Board to release him early.
"At the time of the sentencing and even today I believe that the sentence was excessive given the crime, his criminal history and the involvement of addiction in his life," McDonald wrote in a 2018 letter to the board.
Had it not been for mandatory sentencing laws, McDonald said he would've imposed a far more lenient sentence: three years in prison, two years on probation and drug treatment.
The Florida Commission on Offender Review declined to comment on Forrester's clemency application, saying the information is confidential. The commission publishes a database of people who have been granted clemency; Forrester's name is not in the database.
It seemed to Forrester, "no one is listening."
"If they are listening," he said, "then they just don’t care."
Forrester says he spends his days reading the Bible, playing games he bought for his tablet provided by the prison, and exchanging emails with a longtime friend with whom he will live after he's released. In the mornings, he meditates and prays. Over the years, he's gathered about a dozen certificates, including several from dog training programs that allowed prisoners to become trained handlers and another after completing a substance abuse program.
His symptoms have abated, but the fear of dying before seeing the outside of a prison wall, hasn't.
He looks forward to going back home to Orlando, to his pets that are still alive and to a friend who has "stuck with me all these years."
"I dream about the day I walk up to my front door," he said, "and go inside where I can feel safe again."
Follow USA TODAY's Justice and legal affairs reporter Kristine Phillips on Twitter @bykristinep.
'It would cripple us completely': Coronavirus takes toll on rural police agencies


usatoday--2020-09-02--Coronavirus live updates: Fauci says vaccine could be available earlier than expected; Philly mayor

Coronavirus live updates: Fauci says vaccine could be available earlier than expected; Philly mayor under fire

Clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine can be legitimately cut short and could allow a vaccine to become available more quickly than previously expected , Dr. Anthony Fauci says .
Fauci says early indication of overwhelming success – or failure – of a vaccine candidate would be grounds for ending the trials early .
Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said he is confident the experts making that call would not be swayed by political pressure as Election Day approaches .
The Trump administration announced a nationwide ban on evictions until December to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The federal edict came down after some states , including California and Nevada , announced similar protections against evictions .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom extended California 's moratorium through Jan. 31 , 2021 , while Nevada Gov .
Steve Sisolak made a 45-day extension .
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney apologized on Twitter after a photo of him eating in a Maryland restaurant made the rounds on social media .
Kenney said he felt the risk was low because Cecil County allows indoor dining and has had few confirmed cases .
• New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest school system , delayed in-person reopening plans to Sept. 21 .
• Who should be the first to get the coronavirus vaccine ?
Front-line health care workers , paramedics , firefighters and police , all of whom are at higher risk of contracting the virus , according to a new report from the National Academies of Science , Medicine and Engineering .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has 6 million confirmed cases and over 184,000 deaths .
Globally , there are 25.7 million cases and more than 857,000 people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data .
📰 What we 're reading : California , the first state to reach 700,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , announced a new tiered plan for reopening businesses that some critics say has inequities .
This file will be updated throughout the day .
For updates in your inbox , subscribe to the Daily Briefing .
The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel , part of the National Institutes of Health , said there ’ s no solid evidence for or against recommending convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients .
The statement Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for using plasma taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus .
The panel reviewed data from a preliminary study by the Mayo Clinic and found that while the treatment may be beneficial for non-intubated patients , there was no comparable difference in death rates .
“ There are currently no data from well-controlled , adequately powered randomized clinical trials that demonstrate efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 , ” the panel wrote .
Fauci says clinical trials could end early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be available earlier than expected if ongoing clinical trials produce overwhelmingly positive results , Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease official , told Kaiser Health News .
At least two clinical trials of 30,000 volunteers are now expected to conclude by the end of the year , but Fauci said an independent board has the authority to end the trials weeks early if interim results are overwhelmingly positive or negative .
Fauci said he trusts the independent members of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board to hold vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are making a decision about the vaccine , you ’ d better be sure you have very good evidence that it is both safe and effective , ” Fauci said .
“ I ’ m not concerned about political pressure.
” First come , first served wo n't cut it when vaccine becomes available The first coronavirus vaccine doses to become available should go to front-line health care workers at the highest risk of being exposed to the virus , with paramedics , firefighters and police also would get priority , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Academies of Science , Medicine and Engineering .
Next on the priority list should be people of all ages with underlying conditions , the report said .
A vaccine probably would be in scarce supply initially , with enough doses for only 3 % to 4 % of the U.S. population , the report said .
Francis Collins , director of the National Institutes of Health , and Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , created the panel that wrote the draft .
The panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , public health officials and scientists .
Philadelphia 's mayor apologized after a photo of him eating inside a Maryland restaurant circulated on social media despite a ban on indoor restaurant dining in the City of Brotherly Love .
A spokesperson for Mayor Jim Kenney confirmed that he dined at a friend 's restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay .
Kenney justified the decision by saying that he felt the risk was low because Cecil County had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases .
One vocal critic was chef and restaurant owner Marc Vetri , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoors while restaurants in the city `` close , suffer and fight for every nickel . ''
Plans call for city restaurants to partially open beginning Tuesday .
Census Bureau to stop in-person counting early in some cities The U.S. Census Bureau is ending in-person counting in some cities , including San Diego , as early as Sept. 18 , two weeks before the Sept. 30 deadline , NPR reported .
`` In some areas , nonresponse followup will finish earlier than September 30 — based on the rates of completion , self-response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available workforce can work , '' the bureau told NPR .
Minnesota 's state demographer Susan Brower told NPR that counting may also be done in two weeks in Minnesota 's Hennepin County .
The Census Bureau first postponed its spring deadline to Oct. 31 because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The deadline changed again last month to Sept. 30 .
Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan says all businesses can reopen Friday All businesses in Maryland will be able to open Friday as the state enters the third phase of its coronavirus recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Up to 100 people will be allowed at indoor venues , or 250 people at outdoor venues .
All retail stores as well as churches and houses of worship will be able to increase capacity from 50 % to 75 % .
Local jurisdictions will still be able to decide not to open as much as the state plan allows .
“ I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into Stage 3 does not mean that this crisis is behind us and remind them that we must remain vigilant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for business , '' Hogan said at a news conference .
Hurt by COVID-19 , Australia slips into first recession in 28 years Australia ’ s economy has suffered its sharpest quarterly drop since the Great Depression because of the pandemic , with data released on Wednesday confirming the country is experiencing its first recession in 28 years .
The latest national accounts showed the economy shrank 7 % in the June , the biggest contraction since records began in 1959 .
Combined with a smaller 0.3 % drop in the March quarter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — two consecutive quarters of contraction — has been fulfilled .
Donald Trump goes maskless during Wisconsin visit despite health order President Donald Trump , who has expressed off-again , on-again support for mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic , was maskless again Tuesday as he surveyed businesses damaged during protests in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
At the start of a roundtable meeting with law enforcement personnel , local officials , and business owners , Trump told them they could take off their face masks `` if you feel more comfortable '' doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took that off , '' he told one person .
None of the roundtable participants wound up wearing masks , a group that included Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf .
Some members of Trump 's entourage were seen wearing masks during a tour of torched areas in a state that has suffered its share of coronavirus cases .
Uber to require mask selfie verification for some riders You may soon need to take a selfie as proof you are wearing a mask before your next Uber ride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extending the mask verification feature used with drivers since mid-May to some riders in the U.S. and Canada by the end of September .
The company has required drivers and riders wear masks since May amid the coronavirus pandemic .
`` We firmly believe that accountability is a two-way street .
That ’ s why we ’ re expanding the same technology to riders , too , '' the company said in a blog post .
`` If a driver reports to us that a rider wasn ’ t wearing a mask , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a selfie with their face covered before they ’ re able to take another trip with Uber . ''
Uber extended it 's `` No Mask , No Ride '' policy indefinitely throughout the U.S. and Canada last month .
Trump administration said Tuesday it is implementing a national four-month moratorium on residential evictions due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Relying on a 1944 Public Health Service Act that gives the administration broad quarantine powers , the moratorium will run through Dec. 31 .
It applies to individuals earning less than $ 99,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make rent or housing payments .
“ President Trump is committed to helping hard-working Americans stay in their homes and combating the spread of the coronavirus , ” White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern told reporters Tuesday .
On Facebook : There 's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus .
But what we do know , we 're sharing with you .
Join our Facebook group , Coronavirus Watch , to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19 .
In your inbox : Stay up-to-date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic from the USA TODAY Network .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter .
Tips for coping : Every Saturday and Tuesday we 'll be in your inbox , offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times .
Sign up for Staying Apart , Together .

John Bacon and Jessica Flores, USA TODAY

Coronavirus live updates: CDC tells officials to be ready for vaccine by November; steroids can help severely ill patients
Show Caption Hide Caption 4 phases of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials explained Approving a vaccine in the U.S. usually takes years, but COVID-19 vaccines are moving through in record time. What does that mean? USA TODAY
Clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine can be legitimately cut short and could allow a vaccine to become available more quickly than previously expected if results are overwhelming, Dr. Anthony Fauci says. And the CDC is telling some health officials to be ready to start distributing a vaccine by November, according to one report.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he is confident the experts making the call on a vaccine would not be swayed by political pressure as Election Day approaches.
The Trump administration announced a nationwide ban on evictions until December to ease financial pressures fueled by the pandemic. The federal edict came down after some states, including California and Nevada, announced similar protections against evictions.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney apologized on Twitter after a photo of him eating in a Maryland restaurant made the rounds on social media. And Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi faced criticism for visiting a hair salon in San Francisco despite the city's current guidelines intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Some significant developments:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s controversial decision not to participate in a global alliance to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel, part of the National Institutes of Health, said Wednesday that there’s no solid evidence for or against recommending convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Antibodies produced after infection by the coronavirus last for at least four months after diagnosis, longer than previously believed, a new study finds.
Who should be the first to get the coronavirus vaccine? Front-line health care workers, paramedics, firefighters and police, all of whom are at higher risk of contracting the virus, according to a new report from the National Academies of Science, Medicine and Engineering.
📈 Today's numbers: A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Tuesday shows four states set records for new cases in a week while two states had a record number of deaths in a week. New case records were set in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and West Virginia. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, Hawaii and Guam. The U.S. has 6 million confirmed cases and over 184,000 deaths. Globally, there are 25.8 million cases and more than 858,000 people have died.
📰 What we're reading: California, the first state to reach 700,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, announced a new tiered plan for reopening businesses that some critics say has inequities.
This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to the Daily Briefing.
The first COVID-19 death associated with a massive biker rally in Sturgis, South Dakota has been reported weeks after the event attracted more than 400,000 vehicles and drew widespread concern from public health officials.
The death was reported by Minnesota Department of Health Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann at a Wednesday briefing. Minnesota — South Dakota's neighbor to the east — is tracking an ongoing outbreak of 50 cases tied to the August event, Ehresmann said. That outbreak only includes people who attended the event.
A Minnesota man who died was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions. The rally went forward despite fears it could become a super-spread event. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem welcomed bikers and the tourist dollars they spend.
– Joel Shannon
The CDC is telling some health officials around the country to be ready to start distributing a vaccine to prevent the coronavirus by November, the New York Times reports.
That would be on the early side of what officials have laid out as a best-case scenario: that a vaccine will be ready by the end of the year. A COVID-19 vaccine could be available earlier than expected if ongoing clinical trials produce overwhelmingly positive results, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, told Kaiser Health News.
"Limited COVID -19 vaccine doses may be available by early November 2020, but COVID-19 vaccine supply will increase substantially in 2021," reads the CDC document.
At least two clinical trials of 30,000 volunteers are now expected to conclude by the end of the year, but Fauci said an independent board has the authority to end the trials weeks early if interim results are overwhelmingly positive or negative.
The federal budget deficit is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion because of COVID-19 costs and the recession, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
That’s more than triple the 2019 shortfall. The deficit projection was attributed to the coronavirus disruption of the economy and the cost of legislation enacted by Congress in response to the pandemic.
It was less than a year ago that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned lawmakers that the ballooning federal debt could hamper Congress’ ability to support the economy in a downturn – and that was months before the coronavirus appeared in the U.S.
“The federal budget is on an unsustainable path, with high and rising debt,” Powell told the Joint Economic Committee in November.
Three Phase 3 trials have started in the U.S. for vaccines against the coronavirus and volunteers have been stepping up to be human guinea pigs to make sure they are safe.
But with seven candidate vaccines now funded by the federal government on their way towards Phase 3, a lot more volunteers will be needed – a combined total of at least 210,000.
Half receive the active vaccine and half a placebo. Participants won't know whether they got the actual vaccine until their trial ends in about two years. In the meantime, they are left wondering whether their lack of a sore arm or fever means they received the placebo or just got lucky.
"If I got the placebo, then I will go and get the actual shot when ready," said one volunteer, Dusta Eisenman, 44, of San Jose, California. Want to volunteer? Here's how.
– Karen Weintraub
Canada's chief medical officer issued some guidelines Wednesday on having sex in the age of COVID-19.
Dr. Theresa Tam advised Canadians to wear a mask during sexual intercourse and to check for any symptoms beforehand, especially with a new partner.
While COVID-19 is not easily transmittable through bodily fluids, reported Reuters, Tam advises against kissing or any face-to-face contact during sexual intimacy.
"Canadians can find ways to enjoy physical intimacy while safeguarding the progress we have all made containing COVID-19," Tam said.
Seven more Greek houses at Indiana University-Bloomington are being directed to quarantine because of COVID-19, bringing the total up to 30 out of 40 Greek houses as of Wednesday evening.
IU Bloomington reported an 8.1% positivity rate among students living in fraternity and sorority housing during its mitigation testing, according to a Monday update to its testing dashboard. Residence halls had a 1.63% positivity rate.
All communal living houses are directed to suspend in-person activities other than dining and housing until at least Sept. 14, said IU spokesperson Chuck Carney.
– Lydia Gerike, Indianapolis Star
With volunteer ranks thinned by fear of the coronavirus, Kentucky is trying to put some fizz into its recruitment effort for poll workers for November's general election by soliciting for them on beer cans.
Secretary of State Michael Adams' office is working with the Kentucky Guild of Brewers to get out the word on beer labels. The message includes a QR code linked to a site where people can register to vote and apply to be a poll worker.
“Last year I testified to the Legislature that we had a poll worker crisis in Kentucky,” Adams said in a statement. “COVID-19 certainly hasn’t helped. We need younger generations to step up and be good citizens, and so we enlisted the help of Kentucky’s craft breweries to reach them.”
– Emma Austin, Louisville Courier Journal
A package of new studies published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that patients severely ill with COVID-19 can benefit from steroids. The drugs can save about 1 in 12 patients treated.
Both dexamethasone, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use on COVID-19 patients, and hydrocortisone are equally effective, the research found.
Overall, the research found the most severely ill COVID-19 patients, those who are on ventilators, benefited the most, Dr. Todd Rice of Vanderbilt University, who co-wrote the editorial, said in a JAMA interview. Steroids likely tamped down an immune system overreaction.
Patients who were considered mildly ill with COVID-19, those who were hospitalized but not overwhelmed with inflammation, did not benefit from steroids, the studies found. There is a gray area, the researchers admitted, where it’s hard to determine whether to give steroids to patients who have relatively mild disease at the moment but seem likely to decline.
– Karen Weintraub
First came a shift from classroom instruction to online learning because of the coronavirus. Now comes cyberattacks that could lead to a halt online learning.
Florida’s largest school district has faced multiple cyberattacks this week that appear to be aimed at disrupting instruction via personal computer, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a tweet Wednesday.
So far, he said the hackers haven't been able to penetrate the district’s servers. The FBI and Secret Service have been asked to investigate.
The Transportation Security Administration is testing a system that matches your ID to your face, avoiding person-to-person contact that could spread the coronavirus.
The system, now part of a pilot program at Washington's Reagan National Airport, is similar to a technology that was tested last year at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. However, the new system will allow passengers to insert their ID into the scanner, rather than handing it to a TSA officer.
"In light of COVID-19, advanced health and safety precautions have become a top priority and part of the new normal for TSA," said Administrator David Pekoske in a statement Tuesday.
Pekoske said if the pilot program proves successful, it may be implemented at more airports.
– Curtis Tate
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s controversial decision not to participate in a global alliance to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
The White House confirmed earlier this week that it would not be part of the vaccine alliance, which is being led in part by the World Health Organization and involves more than 170 other countries. The global effort involves not only developing an effective vaccine but also ensuring it is equitably distributed across the globe.
Pompeo told reporters Wednesday the U.S. would not participate in the global vaccine effort because the WHO is too political. The vaccine alliance is being co-led by Gavi, which focuses on providing vaccines to children in poor countries, and other groups. The Trump administration has moved to withdraw the United States from the WHO, arguing it was too soft on China when the novel coronavirus first emerged.
Critics say this decision isolates the United States and risks hindering the worldwide race to find an effective vaccine.
– Deirdre Shesgreen
The U.S. government is canceling some of its contracts to buy new ventilators, saying the national stockpile is full after some states feared they'd run short on the life-saving machines in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that it has nearly 120,000 ventilators available for deployment to state and local health officials if needed. The Trump administration had signed nearly $3 billion in contracts to get more ventilators as demand surged in the spring, but the cancellation of some of the contracts was billed as a cost-savings measure as demand was no longer as high.
President Donald Trump faced criticism in March from some mayors and governors who urged him to use his powers under the Defense Production Act to ramps up production of ventilators. At the time, the national stockpile had only about 16,660 ventilators ready to deploy.
Coronavirus: How vaccines are developed and tested Pressure to create a coronavirus vaccine is increasing by the day, but for a safe vaccine to enter the market, it takes time. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel, part of the National Institutes of Health, said there’s no solid evidence for or against recommending convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The statement Wednesday comes less than 10 days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for using plasma taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus. The panel reviewed data from a preliminary study by the Mayo Clinic and found that while the treatment may be beneficial for non-intubated patients, there was no comparable difference in death rates.
"There are currently no data from well-controlled, adequately powered randomized clinical trials that demonstrate efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for COVID-19," the panel wrote.
– Adrianna Rodriguez
The first coronavirus vaccine doses to become available should go to front-line health care workers at the highest risk of being exposed to the virus, with paramedics, firefighters and police also would get priority, according to a draft report released by the National Academies of Science, Medicine and Engineering.
Next on the priority list should be people of all ages with underlying conditions, the report said. A vaccine probably would be in scarce supply initially, with enough doses for only 3% to 4% of the U.S. population, the report said.
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, created the panel that wrote the draft. The panel is made up of doctors, ethicists, public health officials and scientists.
– Elizabeth Weise
Philadelphia's mayor apologized after a photo of him eating inside a Maryland restaurant circulated on social media despite a ban on indoor restaurant dining in the City of Brotherly Love. A spokesperson for Mayor Jim Kenney confirmed that he dined at a friend's restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay. Kenney justified the decision by saying that he felt the risk was low because Cecil County had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases.
One vocal critic was chef and restaurant owner Marc Vetri, who criticized the hypocrisy of Kenney dining indoors while restaurants in the city "close, suffer and fight for every nickel." Plans call for city restaurants to partially open beginning Tuesday.
The U.S. Census Bureau is ending in-person counting in some cities, including San Diego, as early as Sept. 18, two weeks before the Sept. 30 deadline, NPR reported. "In some areas, nonresponse followup will finish earlier than Sept. 30 – based on the rates of completion, self-response rates and the number of hours our available workforce can work," the bureau told NPR.
Minnesota's state demographer Susan Brower told NPR that counting may also be done in two weeks in Minnesota's Hennepin County. The Census Bureau first postponed its spring deadline to Oct. 31 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The deadline changed again last month to Sept. 30.
All businesses in Maryland will be able to open Friday as the state enters the third phase of its coronavirus recovery plan, Gov. Larry Hogan announced. Up to 100 people will be allowed at indoor venues, or 250 people at outdoor venues. All retail stores as well as churches and houses of worship will be able to increase capacity from 50% to 75%. Local jurisdictions will still be able to decide not to open as much as the state plan allows.
"I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into Stage 3 does not mean that this crisis is behind us and remind them that we must remain vigilant so that we can keep Maryland open for business," Hogan said at a news conference.
Australia’s economy has suffered its sharpest quarterly drop since the Great Depression because of the pandemic. Data released on Wednesday confirmed the country is experiencing its first recession in 28 years. The latest national accounts showed the economy shrank 7% in the June, the biggest contraction since records began in 1959. Combined with a smaller 0.3% drop in the March quarter, the definition of a technical recession – two consecutive quarters of contraction – has been fulfilled.
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it is implementing a national four-month moratorium on residential evictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. Relying on a 1944 Public Health Service Act that gives the administration broad quarantine powers, the moratorium will run through Dec. 31. It applies to individuals earning less than $99,000 a year and who are unable to make rent or housing payments.
"President Trump is committed to helping hard-working Americans stay in their homes and combating the spread of the coronavirus," White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern told reporters Tuesday.
– John Fritze and Nicholas Wu
COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
On Facebook: There's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join our Facebook group, Coronavirus Watch, to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19.
In your inbox: Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter.
Tips for coping: Every Saturday and Tuesday we'll be in your inbox, offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times. Sign up for Staying Apart, Together.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-09-02--'Only in LA': FBI investigates after 'guy in a jet pack' is spotted 3,000 feet above LAX

It 's a bird !
It 's a plane !
No , it 's ... some guy in a jet pack ?
That might as well have been the conversation multiple pilots had with a control tower on Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport , where they say they spotted a mystery person flying with a jet pack near incoming planes .
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to USA TODAY that two airline flight crews reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack as they approached LAX .
The spokesperson added that local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also aware of the pilots ' reports and is working to figure out what happened , FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told USA TODAY .
On Monday , Fox 11 published a recording of the communication between the control tower and the pilots .
`` Tower , American 1997 , we just passed a guy in a jet pack , '' says an American Airlines pilot in the recording .
A person in the tower responds , asking if the jet-pack flyer is on his right or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , maybe 300 yards or so , about our altitude , '' says the pilot .
Another person , whom Fox 11 identifies as a SkyWest pilot , corroborates the claim .
`` We just saw the guy passing by us in the jet pack , '' he tells the tower .
The person in the tower also warns an incoming JetBlue pilot that someone in a jet pack may be nearby .
`` Jet Blue 23 , use caution , a person in a jet pack reported 300 yards south of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 mile final , '' he says .
The pilot replies , `` Jet Blue 23 , we heard and we are definitely looking . ''
Another pilot sums it up best : `` Only in LA . ''
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for LAX , the Los Angeles Police Department and the airlines involved for further comment and details .
Only 'guidelines ' : FAA wo n't make wearing of face masks on airlines mandatory

'Only in LA': FBI investigates after 'guy in a jet pack' is spotted 3,000 feet above LAX
Show Caption Hide Caption Dubai jetpack takes French 'jetman' high above city like Iron Man French jetman Vince Reffet was able to soar high above Dubai thanks to jet-powered wings. He few almost 6,000 feet above sea level on February 14th. Buzz60
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's ... some guy in a jet pack?
That might as well have been the conversation pilots had with a control tower Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport, where they said they spotted a mystery person flying with a jet pack near incoming planes.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to USA TODAY that two airline flight crews reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack as they approached LAX. The spokesperson said law enforcement is looking into the situation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working to figure out what happened, FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told USA TODAY.
Monday, Fox 11 published a recording of the communication between the control tower and the pilots.
"Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jet pack," an American Airlines pilot said. A person in the tower asked whether the jet-pack flier was on his right or left.
"Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude," the pilot said.
Another person, whom Fox 11 identified as a SkyWest pilot, corroborated the claim. "We just saw the guy passing by us in the jet pack," he told the tower.
Power restored at Los Angeles International Airport after widespread outage
The person in the tower warned an incoming JetBlue pilot that someone in a jet pack might be nearby.
"Jet Blue 23, use caution, a person in a jet pack reported 300 yards south of the LA final at about 3,000 feet, 10 mile final," he said. The pilot replied, "Jet Blue 23, we heard, and we are definitely looking."
Another pilot summed it up best: "Only in LA."
USA TODAY was unable to reach representatives at LAX, the Los Angeles Police Department and the airlines involved for further comment and details.
Only 'guidelines': FAA won't make wearing of face masks on airlines mandatory


usatoday--2020-09-02--Rams and Chargers come to grips with shooting of Jacob Blake in latest 'Hard Knocks'

As if taking part in training camp during a global pandemic was n't enough , the events of Sunday , Aug. 23 in Kenosha , Wisconsin , added another challenging circumstance to what will be the most abnormal season in NFL history .
Tuesday 's episode of HBO 's `` Hard Knocks '' dove right into the topic that 's been on most peoples ' minds for more than a week .
It also might be the most intense and emotionally charged episode in the series ' 15 seasons .
Artis Twyman , the Los Angeles Rams ' senior director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the shooting of Jacob Blake on his cellphone and shows it to head coach Sean McVay .
There 's screaming and yelling , and then seven gunshots into the back of Blake , a Black man .
It 's the latest very public example of police brutality toward Black people .
`` Are you ( expletive ) kidding me ? ''
says a stunned McVay .
`` Wait ... are you ( expletive ) kidding me ?
`` What the ( expletive ) is wrong with people ?
That is awful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ asks Twyman , a Black man , what he thinks when he sees that video .
`` I think more about the people this has happened to where there 's no video , '' Twyman says .
`` Tons of people who were murdered , or injured , or wrongly accused , where there 's just no video .
And the cops just got away with it .
You just feel helpless .
This keeps happening .
What can you do to change it ? ''
While the Rams did n't interrupt their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a scrimmage that was to be held at new SoFi Stadium .
They were among a number of NFL teams to cancel practices last week as athletes around the sports world protested racial injustice .
As Chargers players marveled at their new ( shared ) home , SoFi Stadium 's massive 360-degree oculus video board showed the words of Blake 's sister , Letetra Widman : `` I 'm not sad .
I do n't want your pity .
I want change . ''
Those words were followed by `` ENOUGH !
!
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his players to the locker room to have an uncomfortable discussion .
`` Right now , I feel like a lot of you guys in here got something on your mind and you need to get it out , '' Lynn said .
`` I do n't want to take the football field until we get it out .
`` And I do n't give a damn how long we are in this locker room .
We 're gon na get it out right now .
And we 're going to talk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be a hard conversation .
I 'm just gon na ask you , please , just listen ... Just listen . ''
Chargers assistant head coach George Stewart , a Black man , addresses the team : `` Guys , I 'm 62 years old ... 62 .
I 've lived this life .
I 've talked to some of you men this morning .
I 'm tired .
I 've seen if from age 6 to 62 years old .
I 'm tired of it .
I grew up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it 's like to be oppressed .
We talk about , 'what can we do ? '
You got ta lose something to get something .
I look at Colin Kaepernick .
His ass lost millions of ( expletive ) dollars , because he believes in something .
`` We are football players .
We 're not politicians .
But it 's up to us to speak our damn platforms . ''
When it comes to sports , if 2020 has taught us anything , it 's that the mantra `` stick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We in sports have been programmed ... race , politics and religion .
Those are the uncomfortable topics you do n't talk about , '' McVay says in a meeting with other coaches .
`` Well , we got two of those three at the forefront and now what 's unfortunately been avoided is slapping us right in the face .
And , it 's got ta be something that we ca n't avoid and have to be willing to acknowledge . ''
As narrator Liev Schreiber so eloquently put it : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sean McVay is left with questions .
Among them , how to get his team ready for the season with the world on fire . ''
This is where we 're at as a nation .
And , in this `` Hard Knocks '' episode , Rams receiver Cooper Kupp expressed an uncomfortable truth .
`` If you 're not aware of what 's going on by now , then you 're just choosing not to .
You 're choosing not to have empathy for this , '' Kupp says .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ episode of `` 'Hard Knocks '' with the Chargers and Rams : Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has had his ups and downs on full display in `` Hard Knocks . ''
He rebounds from a rough practice and gets a nice NFL Films-style highlight montage .
Coach Anthony Lynn is impressed and wants to challenge the first-round draft pick .
`` I do n't want to force it , but I kinda do want to force it , '' Lynn tells an assistant coach .
`` I want to see Big Boy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown unfurling a long strike to receiver Darius Jennings , who sprints past defenders for a training camp touchdown .
Later , wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan heaps praise on the former Oregon Duck .
`` This is as good a football ( throw ) as you 're ever going to see , '' McGeoghan .
`` That 's how you come back after an off day . ''
If you 're looking for a rookie sleeper for your upcoming fantasy football draft , perhaps consider Rams receiver Van Jefferson .
The son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impressed the Rams brass with his performances at camp .
`` Van Jefferson has really done an excellent job these last few days .
He 's made a lot of plays , '' McVay says .
`` He 's got all those traits and characteristics that you 're looking for . ''
Last week , we met Rams rookie linebacker Clay Johnston .
This week , viewers got to know another 53-man roster long shot : Breiden Fehoko .
The undrafted rookie free agent defensive tackle out of LSU is the son of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as `` Vili the Warrior , '' once a staple at University of Hawaii football games at Aloha Stadium .
Breiden Fehoko even performs a Haka dance for his teammates .
If you love talking football , we have the perfect spot for you .
Join our Facebook Group , The Ruling Off the Field , to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders .
Do the right thing , sign up now !

Rams and Chargers come to grips with shooting of Jacob Blake in latest 'Hard Knocks'
Show Caption Hide Caption Time for NFL owners to step up on social justice or face their own players' strike Sports Pulse: Nancy Armour on why team owners need to get engaged in social issues SportsPulse, USA TODAY
As if taking part in training camp during a global pandemic wasn't enough, the events of Sunday, Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, added another challenging circumstance to what will be the most abnormal season in NFL history.
Tuesday's episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks" dove right into the topic that's been on most peoples' minds for more than a week. It also might be the most intense and emotionally charged episode in the series' 15 seasons.
Artis Twyman, the Los Angeles Rams' senior director of communications, pulls up the video of the shooting of Jacob Blake on his cellphone and shows it to head coach Sean McVay.
There's screaming and yelling, and then seven gunshots into the back of Blake, a Black man. It's the latest very public example of police brutality toward Black people.
"Are you (expletive) kidding me?" says a stunned McVay. "Wait ... are you (expletive) kidding me?
"What the (expletive) is wrong with people? That is awful. It makes me sick."
McVay asks Twyman, a Black man, what he thinks when he sees that video.
"I think more about the people this has happened to where there's no video," Twyman says. "Tons of people who were murdered, or injured, or wrongly accused, where there's just no video. And the cops just got away with it. You just feel helpless. This keeps happening. What can you do to change it?"
While the Rams didn't interrupt their practice schedule, the crosstown Chargers canceled a scrimmage that was to be held at new SoFi Stadium. They were among a number of NFL teams to cancel practices last week as athletes around the sports world protested racial injustice.
As Chargers players marveled at their new (shared) home, SoFi Stadium's massive 360-degree oculus video board showed the words of Blake's sister, Letetra Widman: "I'm not sad. I don't want your pity. I want change." Those words were followed by "ENOUGH!!"
Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn summoned his players to the locker room to have an uncomfortable discussion.
"Right now, I feel like a lot of you guys in here got something on your mind and you need to get it out," Lynn said. "I don't want to take the football field until we get it out.
"And I don't give a damn how long we are in this locker room. We're gonna get it out right now. And we're going to talk. For some of you, it's going to be a hard conversation. I'm just gonna ask you, please, just listen ... Just listen."
Chargers assistant head coach George Stewart, a Black man, addresses the team: "Guys, I'm 62 years old ... 62. I've lived this life. I've talked to some of you men this morning. I'm tired. I've seen if from age 6 to 62 years old. I'm tired of it. I grew up in the damn South. ... I know what it's like to be oppressed. We talk about, 'what can we do?' You gotta lose something to get something. I look at Colin Kaepernick. His ass lost millions of (expletive) dollars, because he believes in something.
"We are football players. We're not politicians. But it's up to us to speak our damn platforms."
62 years...
Coach Stew from the heart. pic.twitter.com/UvQxo4q16J — Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 2, 2020
When it comes to sports, if 2020 has taught us anything, it's that the mantra "stick to sports" no longer applies.
"We in sports have been programmed ... race, politics and religion. Those are the uncomfortable topics you don't talk about," McVay says in a meeting with other coaches. "Well, we got two of those three at the forefront and now what's unfortunately been avoided is slapping us right in the face. And, it's gotta be something that we can't avoid and have to be willing to acknowledge."
As narrator Liev Schreiber so eloquently put it: "Like the rest of the country, Sean McVay is left with questions. Among them, how to get his team ready for the season with the world on fire."
This is where we're at as a nation. And, in this "Hard Knocks" episode, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp expressed an uncomfortable truth.
"If you're not aware of what's going on by now, then you're just choosing not to. You're choosing not to have empathy for this," Kupp says.
HARD KNOCKS EPISODE 3 RECAP: 'Papa Favre' gives pep talk to Rams rookie
HARD KNOCKS EPISODE 2 RECAP: Chargers' first-round QB still learning ropes in NFL
HARD KNOCKS EPISODE 1 RECAP: Chargers head coach reveals he had COVID-19
Here are other notable moments from the fourth episode of "'Hard Knocks" with the Chargers and Rams:
Justin Herbert learning the ropes
Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has had his ups and downs on full display in "Hard Knocks." He rebounds from a rough practice and gets a nice NFL Films-style highlight montage.
Coach Anthony Lynn is impressed and wants to challenge the first-round draft pick.
"I don't want to force it, but I kinda do want to force it," Lynn tells an assistant coach. "I want to see Big Boy get one."
Herbert is then shown unfurling a long strike to receiver Darius Jennings, who sprints past defenders for a training camp touchdown.
Later, wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan heaps praise on the former Oregon Duck.
"This is as good a football (throw) as you're ever going to see," McGeoghan. "That's how you come back after an off day."
Van Jefferson wows at Rams camp
If you're looking for a rookie sleeper for your upcoming fantasy football draft, perhaps consider Rams receiver Van Jefferson. The son of former NFL receiver Shawn Jefferson has impressed the Rams brass with his performances at camp.
"Van Jefferson has really done an excellent job these last few days. He's made a lot of plays," McVay says. "He's got all those traits and characteristics that you're looking for."
Son of 'Vili the Warrior'
Last week, we met Rams rookie linebacker Clay Johnston. This week, viewers got to know another 53-man roster long shot: Breiden Fehoko.
The undrafted rookie free agent defensive tackle out of LSU is the son of Vili Fehoko, or more famously known as "Vili the Warrior," once a staple at University of Hawaii football games at Aloha Stadium.
Breiden Fehoko even performs a Haka dance for his teammates.
If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!


usatoday--2020-09-02--Opinion: NFL's uneven policy for fan attendance creates unfair divide in 2020 season

No , they don ’ t make cardboard cutouts that can sling a snowball or curse you out .
Guess the Philadelphia Eagles will just have to deal with it .
The Eagles are the latest NFL team to offer fans the chance to buy cutouts in their likeness to position around an otherwise empty Lincoln Financial Field until further notice .
The $ 100 cost is earmarked for a good cause , benefitting the Eagles Autism Foundation .
Yet this also brings to mind what the Eagles will be missing without some of the league ’ s most passionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Philly is the place where they booed Santa Claus and had a jail in the bowels of The Vet to contain the unruliest types .
It ’ s where I saw swaggering , then-Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson get blasted in a hail of snowballs as he ran to the tunnel .
Yeah , there ’ s your brotherly love .
And they sing , too , “ Fly , Eagles Fly ” after every touchdown .
All of that charm will come back to The Linc someday , maybe within weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home-field advantage has been neutralized as the NFL ramps up for a season of uncertainty when imbalance will be the ticket .
It ’ s even possible , for one example , that the Eagles could host the NFC East-rival Cowboys in an empty stadium , then play ‘ em later in a socially distanced yet relatively packed house – even at 50 % capacity , that ’ s about 40,000 fans – at JerryWorld .
Brace yourself .
This 2020 season will be a parody of NFL parity .
FAN ATTENDANCE POLICIES @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into stadiums ?
It ’ s no wonder Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott last week blasted the league ’ s decision not to have a uniform attendance policy , calling the decision “ ridiculous.
” The Bills , one of 25 NFL teams that already have announced they won ’ t have fans in the stands for home games as they start the season , will open on Sept. 13 at Miami – with the Dolphins planning to host as many as 13,000 fans .
Tough luck , McDermott .
NFL Commissioner Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lens .
During a news conference on Tuesday , Goodell said , “ We do not believe it ’ s a competitive advantage .
We discussed it early on with our competition committee and our clubs.
” C ’ mon , Roger .
Admit it : Some stadiums have an edge , an annoyance , a vibe that can be a factor and force adjustments .
I don ’ t see Miami as intimidating for visitors as , say , the stadiums in Seattle , New Orleans , Philadelphia and Kansas City , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any coach to break down their silent snap count contingencies and you can ’ t deny that crowd noise is not created equally .
Then again , maybe it won ’ t matter in 2020 , if these half-to-all empty stadiums extend to the end .
At the moment , it seems that perhaps just seven teams will open the season with fans at their home games .
The Bucs have yet to announce intentions , but the smart money says it will be a clean sweep in Florida , as the Jaguars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City , where the defending Super Bowl champs will stage the NFL ’ s kickoff game a week from Thursday , is in at 22 % .
Indianapolis will cap the crowd at 25 % , while , knowing Jerry Jones , Dallas is undoubtedly down for whatever the state of Texas allows .
Cleveland is TBD , but last week the Browns unveiled a “ mask policy , ” and the hope is that Ohio will allow 20,000 .
Ridiculous ?
Well , it ’ s certainly inconsistent with the manner in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single team to re-open headquarters during the offseason until all 32 had clearance from local and/or state authorities .
He also ordered every team to conduct the draft with the decision-makers operating from home .
He tried to keep it fair and square , guided by the principles of Pete Rozelle ’ s parity in a league that splits billions of dollars in TV revenues 32 ways .
But hey , they ’ re trying to pull off an NFL season in the middle of a pandemic .
Something ’ s got ta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whatever the ramifications are , let ’ s embrace it completely , ” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said during a recent news conference .
Long before teams reported to training camps , NFL owners agreed that they would have to accept that some things just would not even out this season .
The attendance policy is just one example of the thinking that they would have to be flexible and nimble .
As Goodell explained it , the team-by-team attendance plans are primarily driven by public health and governmental officials .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopefully ) progresses .
“ Those are ongoing discussions and they will vary right up to the kickoff game and obviously , beyond that , ” Goodell said .
More interesting might be to grasp what conditions exist that would move Goodell — tapping into a newly formed advisory panel for football matters — to postpone or cancel games and how various scenarios compare .
Intense debates could loom if , say , one game gets tabled because a COVID-19 outbreak wiped out three starting offensive linemen from a team while another team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backs .
The league also is considering using winning percentage as the first qualifier for claiming division titles and playoff berths to account for the possibility of teams playing uneven schedules .
On the surface , that sounds doable in this first season with a playoff field expanded from 12 teams to 14 .
But what happens if this season is so disrupted that an 8-4 team can ’ t get into the playoffs because a 6-1 team qualifies thanks to a higher winning percentage ?
Should there be a minimum number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
That ’ s one of the competitive issues needing to be hashed out as the clock ticks toward the start of this season of uncertainty .
Another one is to establish the precise decibel level that will be used for the pumped-in crowd noise that will be used at NFL stadiums .
Imagine that .
What was once a cardinal sin in the NFL will become parody procedure in 2020 .
Tom Brady knows .
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used fake crowd noise at a practice last week , it seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — or at least some fun with the thought of it all .
“ I thought it was one of the old Colts tapes when they used to pump all that sound in the RCA Dome , ” Brady cracked .
Ouch .
All things being equal or not , maybe he was kidding .
The cutouts had to love it .

Opinion: NFL's uneven policy for fan attendance creates unfair divide in 2020 season
Show Caption Hide Caption Erin Andrews on FOX's NFL coverage: Expect fake crowd noise, don't expect watered down product SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Erin Andrews to see how Fox is planning on broadcasting NFL games this fall and how she will adapt to not being allowed on sidelines for games. USA TODAY
No, they don’t make cardboard cutouts that can sling a snowball or curse you out.
Guess the Philadelphia Eagles will just have to deal with it.
The Eagles are the latest NFL team to offer fans the chance to buy cutouts in their likeness to position around an otherwise empty Lincoln Financial Field until further notice. The $100 cost is earmarked for a good cause, benefitting the Eagles Autism Foundation.
Yet this also brings to mind what the Eagles will be missing without some of the league’s most passionate fans in the house. I mean, Philly is the place where they booed Santa Claus and had a jail in the bowels of The Vet to contain the unruliest types. It’s where I saw swaggering, then-Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson get blasted in a hail of snowballs as he ran to the tunnel.
Yeah, there’s your brotherly love. And they sing, too, “Fly, Eagles Fly” after every touchdown.
All of that charm will come back to The Linc someday, maybe within weeks, but in the meantime, the home-field advantage has been neutralized as the NFL ramps up for a season of uncertainty when imbalance will be the ticket. It’s even possible, for one example, that the Eagles could host the NFC East-rival Cowboys in an empty stadium, then play ‘em later in a socially distanced yet relatively packed house – even at 50% capacity, that’s about 40,000 fans – at JerryWorld.
Brace yourself. This 2020 season will be a parody of NFL parity.
FAN ATTENDANCE POLICIES: Which teams will be allowing fans into stadiums?
It’s no wonder Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott last week blasted the league’s decision not to have a uniform attendance policy, calling the decision “ridiculous.” The Bills, one of 26 NFL teams that already have announced they won’t have fans in the stands for home games as they start the season, will open on Sept. 13 at Miami – with the Dolphins planning to host as many as 13,000 fans.
Tough luck, McDermott. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sees the world through a different lens.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Goodell said, “We do not believe it’s a competitive advantage. We discussed it early on with our competition committee and our clubs.”
C’mon, Roger. Admit it: Some stadiums have an edge, an annoyance, a vibe that can be a factor and force adjustments. I don’t see Miami as intimidating for visitors as, say, the stadiums in Seattle, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Kansas City, to name a few. But ask any coach to break down their silent snap count contingencies and you can’t deny that crowd noise is not created equally.
Then again, maybe it won’t matter in 2020, if these half-to-all empty stadiums extend to the end.
At the moment, it seems that perhaps just six teams will open the season with fans at their home games. The Jaguars are expecting 25% capacity. Kansas City, where the defending Super Bowl champs will stage the NFL’s kickoff game a week from Thursday, is in at 22%. Indianapolis will cap the crowd at 25%, while, knowing Jerry Jones, Dallas is undoubtedly down for whatever the state of Texas allows. Cleveland is TBD, but last week the Browns unveiled a “mask policy,” and the hope is that Ohio will allow 20,000.
Ridiculous? Well, it’s certainly inconsistent with the manner in which Goodell didn’t allow a single team to re-open headquarters during the offseason until all 32 had clearance from local and/or state authorities. He also ordered every team to conduct the draft with the decision-makers operating from home. He tried to keep it fair and square, guided by the principles of Pete Rozelle’s parity in a league that splits billions of dollars in TV revenues 32 ways.
But hey, they’re trying to pull off an NFL season in the middle of a pandemic. Something’s gotta give.
“Whatever the pandemic brings, whatever the ramifications are, let’s embrace it completely,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said during a recent news conference.
Long before teams reported to training camps, NFL owners agreed that they would have to accept that some things just would not even out this season. The attendance policy is just one example of the thinking that they would have to be flexible and nimble.
As Goodell explained it, the team-by-team attendance plans are primarily driven by public health and governmental officials. The limits will evolve as the season (hopefully) progresses.
“Those are ongoing discussions and they will vary right up to the kickoff game and obviously, beyond that,” Goodell said.
More interesting might be to grasp what conditions exist that would move Goodell — tapping into a newly formed advisory panel for football matters — to postpone or cancel games and how various scenarios compare. Intense debates could loom if, say, one game gets tabled because a COVID-19 outbreak wiped out three starting offensive linemen from a team while another team had to play despite losing four defensive backs.
The league also is considering using winning percentage as the first qualifier for claiming division titles and playoff berths to account for the possibility of teams playing uneven schedules. On the surface, that sounds doable in this first season with a playoff field expanded from 12 teams to 14.
But what happens if this season is so disrupted that an 8-4 team can’t get into the playoffs because a 6-1 team qualifies thanks to a higher winning percentage? Should there be a minimum number of games played to qualify for the playoffs?
That’s one of the competitive issues needing to be hashed out as the clock ticks toward the start of this season of uncertainty. Another one is to establish the precise decibel level that will be used for the pumped-in crowd noise that will be used at NFL stadiums.
Imagine that. What was once a cardinal sin in the NFL will become parody procedure in 2020.
Tom Brady knows. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used fake crowd noise at a practice last week, it seems that he had something of a flashback — or at least some fun with the thought of it all.
“I thought it was one of the old Colts tapes when they used to pump all that sound in the RCA Dome,” Brady cracked.
Ouch. All things being equal or not, maybe he was kidding. The cutouts had to love it.
Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.