New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins said the risk surrounding the coronavirus “has to really be eliminated” before he would be comfortable returning to play this season.

Jenkins, a 12-year veteran and member of the NFL Players Association’s executive committee, appeared on CNN on Thursday morning in his new role as a contributor for the network.

JUST NOW: “Football is a nonessential business and so we don’t need to do it. So the risk, you know, has to be really eliminated before we — before I would feel comfortable with going back. “

Saints @MalcolmJenkins concerned about a return to playpic.twitter.com/onBcvBo3qa

— John Berman (@JohnBerman) June 25, 2020

Jenkins described football as a “nonessential business.” And he pointed out that “the NBA is a lot different than the NFL because they can actually quarantine all of their players or whoever is going to participate.”

“We have over 2,000 players, even more coaches and staff. We can’t do that,” Jenkins said. “So we’ll end up being kind of on this trust system, the honor system, where we just have to hope that guys are social distancing and things like that. And that puts all of us at risk, not only us as players and who’s in the building, but when you go home to your families. You know, I have parents that I don’t want to get sick.

“And I think until we get to the point where we have protocols in place, and until we get to a place as a country where we feel safe doing it, we have to understand that football is a nonessential business. And so we don’t need to do it. And so the risk has to be really eliminated before we — before I — would feel comfortable with going back.”

On Thursday afternoon, Jeff Pash, the NFL’s executive vice president/general counsel, said the league has advised its teams to expect an on-time start for training camps next month, meaning that for most teams, players will be expected to report no later than July 28 to begin preparing for the season.