Coronavirus Forces NFL To Cancel Draft Events

The 2020 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23-25 and was supposed to take place in Las Vegas, but Roger Goodell made the ultimate decision to cancel all NFL Draft public events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked about the league’s decision on Monday, Goodell said, “This decision reflects our foremost priority—the health and safety of all fans and citizens. While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the (Las Vegas) Raiders, the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft.”
Nashville hosted the NFL Draft in 2019 and saw fan attendance upwards of 600,000 in all.
“After careful consideration, the Las Vegas Raiders, the NFL, the NFLPA and the LVCVA have decided to cancel the 2020 Las Vegas NFL Draft celebration,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “Health and safety has always been our top priority, so despite it being a major disappointment, this was the right decision.”
The NFL will still conduct a draft, even though teams are prohibited from conducting pre-draft visits to team facilities. The league is working to have health rechecks of prospects done by a network of physicians, with the results being shared with all 32 teams.
MGM Sees Massive Losses on Monday
Las Vegas cannot seem to catch a break lately. MGM Resorts closed 14 locations along the Strip yesterday and saw massive financial losses, as MGM’s stock closed 33.61 percent in the negative on Monday. MGM is just one of many casinos closing its doors in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Trump Enforces 10-Person Rule
Following Goodell’s statement, President Donald Trump advised Americans on Monday not to engage in gatherings of 10 or more people. With stricter laws being enforced each and every day, you wonder how long we may go without any American sports.
Projections say sports in the United States may not resume until as late as July.
The NFL Draft will definitely have a different feel to it with not many people in attendance. It will be interesting to see how they broadcast the event considering the latest rules President Trump laid out on Monday. Hopefully, the coronavirus pandemic will be under control by the start of the NFL Draft, which is starting April 23.
Very Limited Sports Betting
While all American Sports have been postponed or canceled, you can still wager on certain sporting events from soccer and darts, to cricket and Aussie. Some books are currently offering current event props, where you can bet on stuff like presidential nominee props and coronavirus props.