Waterford temporarily laid off their players and staff on Monday and striker Graham Cummins cannot see the League of Ireland resuming behind closed doors in 2020.
Cummins is facing the prospect of looking for alternative employment after a career which has seen him play for Cork City, Preston North End, Exeter City and St Johnstone.
The Waterford native was disappointed in the way the news was communicated by e-mail to the players, but he won't be holding 'a grudge' against the club.
There is an FAI feasibility study ongoing at present to examine whether League of Ireland matches can be played without crowds during the pandemic, but Cummins doesn't see this as a runner.
"No, I really don't. There's only certain clubs that want it. There's too much risk. I really think there's too much risk. I see obviously protocol, the ideas about players washing their own kit and coming to training by themselves. I don't understand how you can have lads training in threes and fours and going from that in two weeks to going to matches where you have proper contact and there's going to be the risk of contracting the virus. Unless there's a vaccination, I really don't see a way forward."
Cummins says he can understand why players might not be comfortable to return to first team football.
"I have actually just had a daughter, she's nine weeks old and now my priority would be that, thinking - 'what if I pick up something and give it back to her'. There's so many players going to be playing and surely they have partners or have children that might have asthma or are in the category of high risk. I don't think you can ask players to go back and do that. Could you imagine what a player must feel like if he does pick it up and passes it on to a family member and god forbid, the worst happens to a family member."
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