The NFL will close all facilities to virtially all personnel in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
The paper learned of the decision through a memo Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to clubs Tuesday outlining rules put in place to ensure the league “continues to conduct itself in a responsible way,” and that teams “operate on a level playing field.
NFL will soon close team facilities in response to coronavirus https://t.co/hm9fp6PkAM
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) March 25, 2020
Sam Farmer of the Times reported Goodell’s memo states the guidelines will be implemented at 6 p.m. local time Wednesday and the league will assess the situation in two weeks.
- The only exceptions to the closure are employees (such as athletic trainers) or physicans) who are providing ongoing medical treatment to players.
- The director of facilities or security personnel needed to maintain the physical security of the facility and its contents.
- Technology personnel necessary to maintain the security and operational capabilities of the IT network of each team to enable remote work.
This makes the second major piece of news Farmer and the Times have broken in less than a week. Earlier, he reported the league planned to operate its April 23-25 draft from a studio setting.