GARDENA, Calif. — Former Charger Shawne Merriman runs his own MMA fighting league called Lights Out. Now, he, the current Chargers, and the rest of the NFL have plenty of concerns about the spread of COVID-19. 

High-profile players have taken to social media asking the league to come up with a cohesive safety plan.

“That’s what guys are most concerned with, making sure the protocols are correct so they can get back to playing, and the season, not only starts on time, but there’s not a disruption,” said Merriman. 

Less than one week into the Major League Baseball season, they’ve already had a disruption with as many as 13 Miami Marlins players and staff members testing positive for COVID-19. But Merriman said if he was still in the league, he would take the field. 

“I wouldn’t be too concerned with myself,” he explained.

“I would be more concerned about practicing, working out with the guys, going in the hot and cold tub in the gym, and then going back home to my family. I think that would be the biggest concern for me.”

With all NFL players now due to report for camp, Chargers GM Tom Telesco addressed the worries many have about the league’s return in the heart of a pandemic.

“We cannot eliminate the risk. I wish we could, we can’t,” Telesco said. 

“Our goal is to minimize so whether it’s in the building, meetings, hallways, when they eat food. But we realize once we hit the practice field, yes it’s more difficult.”

In football retirement, Merriman is hoping to see the sport he loves kicking off a new season this September.

“Football needs to be back,” he said. “It’s America's greatest sport. I think football would be a good platform to kind of ease the tension and get things back to normal.”

But that's only if they can manage to mount a season amid an ongoing coronavirus pandemic in a sport with more players on the field than most, and more physical contact than any other.