Roger Goodell says the 2020 Draft is scheduled to start on time but will be featuring an interesting twist this year; it’s fully virtual. General managers, coaches, owners, and other team members were told Monday to operate from the comfort of their own homes to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
“We have made this decision for several reasons,” Goodell said in Monday’s statement. “All clubs will not have access to their facilities, which is contrary to the fundamental equity principle that all clubs operate in a consistent and fair way. Moreover, we want all NFL personnel to comply with government directives and to model safe and appropriate health practices.
“And after consulting with medical advisors, we cannot identify an alternative that is preferable from a medical or public health perspective, given the varying needs of clubs, the need properly to screen participants, and the unique risk factors that individual club employees may face.”
The 2020 NFL season is scheduled to start on time. According to Jeff Pash, executive vice president of the executive council, the league is not certain but has plans of starting on time.
“That’s our expectation. Am I certain of that? I’m not certain I’ll be here tomorrow. But I’m planning on it, and in the same way, we’re planning on having a full season.”
“All of our discussions,” Pash said, “all of our focus has been on a normal, traditional season, starting on time, playing in front of fans, in our regular stadiums, and going through a full 16-game regular season and a full set of playoffs. That’s our focus.
“We’re still in March, so it’s quite a few months between now and when our season would begin. The belief and the information that we have is leading us to continue on focusing on a season that starts on time and played in a normal way.”
Pessimism
The announcement comes after many fans and analysts spoke out against the NFL continuing operations. Kirk Herbstreit said, “I’ll be shocked if we have NFL football this fall, if we have college football. I’ll be so surprised if that happens. Just because from what I understand, people that I listen to, you’re 12 to 18 months from a (coronavirus) vaccine.
“I don’t know how you let these guys go into locker rooms and let stadiums be filled up and how you can play ball. I just don’t know how you can do it with the optics of it.
“Next thing you know, you got a locker room full of guys that are sick. And that’s on your watch? I wouldn’t want to have that.”
It will be interesting to see how the 2020 Draft is going to turn out. It will be nice for fans around the world to get a taste of some sports action, even if it is just the NFL Draft. Hopefully, the coronavirus does not delay the start of the 2020 NFL season.
