The New York Giants and the other 31 NFL clubs will be closing their facilities beginning at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday, with limited exceptions.
The Giants, of course, had gotten a head-start on this mandate, officially closing all East Rutherford, New Jersey facilities late last week.
“Over the past week, every NFL club has suspended normal business operations in response to the advice of medical experts and public health authorities,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Last week, we agreed with the NFLPA to close all facilities to players other than those receiving medical treatment and rehabilitation. In the succeeding days, clubs took further steps to respond to current conditions and directed all but a limited number of staff to work remotely. In part, these changes were prompted by state or local government orders to ‘stat at home’ but in many other cases, clubs changed their practices to contribute to the national effort to employ remote work options as an essential element to reducing the rate of transmission of the COVID-19 virus and the risk of exposure.
“To ensure that all clubs operate on a level playing field, and that the NFL continues to conduct itself in a responsible way at this time, it is appropriate to outline certain principles that will apply during the current period. These principles have been reviewed with and endorsed by the Competition Committee and will remain in effect until further notice.”
The exceptions are a) trainer and physicians who are providing ongoing medical care, b) security personnel required to maintain the physical security of the property and c) IT personnel that are necessary for the club and its employees the ability to work remotely.
April 8 might be a bit aggressive to get people back to work. President Donald Trump is hopeful that Americans can begin to get back to normalcy by Easter (April 12), but with the New York metro area the epicenter for the Coronavirus in the United States, things are getting worse by the hour.
Even with the April 8 goal in mind, that means the Giants’ start to the offseason workout program (April 6) will be likely be delayed.
The virus may not read its peak here until that time, so expect the facility to be closed for a longer stretch of time. Perhaps through the summer.
One thing to pass along: I’m increasingly hearing from coaches and front office executives that they believe it will be nearly impossible for the season to start on time. Some believe training camp will start in the fall.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
[lawrence-related id=643388,643382,643349]