The coronavirus crisis has permeated and paused nearly every aspect of American life. With a good portion of the population being mandated to stay inside and work from home, many businesses have been shuttered and millions are wondering where their next paycheck will be coming from.
The NFL is no different. They did not postpone their free agency period this past week as teams and players still found each other remotely, either by phone or other electronic medium.
The league also has not postponed their annual amateur player draft, which was originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from April 23-25. That won’t happen now. In its full splendor, anyway. Public events have been canceled and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is fielding ideas from all avenues on how to conduct the draft.
The L.A. Times obtained a statement from Goodell that was sent out to league employees over the past week:
“Planning for the Draft is a good example of how we need to think differently, embrace technology and collaborate. We will also use the Draft to help support fans and those people impacted in our communities.
While there have been changes to the way we work and some of our plans, we have an unwavering commitment to upholding the NFL’s legacy of unifying and lifting the spirit of America, and bringing out the best in our fans and in our communities around the world. You’ll hear more from us in the days and weeks ahead about how we intend to demonstrate that commitment well beyond our fields. And I hope you’ll share your ideas on how we can do that.”
The fans can basically expect a television program in lieu of a live event. It’s unlikely the draftees will be in attendance. Social distancing will likely be in effect in some form at that time, so a scaled-down draft is to be expected.
With the NFL new league year a virtual event thus far, we can expect to see the league try to get as much business in as possible without putting anyone at risk.
[lawrence-related id=643153,643170,643211]