The NFL still hopes to start its 2020 season as originally scheduled in September, but like the other major 🐟sports leagues, contingency plans are being discussed🧸 to account for alterations necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The NFL is considering changes that would include “a potential꧂ly shortened schedule, holding games in empty or pa🍨rtially filled stadiums, and moving or rescheduling games if necessary,” .
“I don’t know if it’ll be a one-third-filled stadium, a half-filled stadium or whatever,” a person familiar with the league’s planning told the newspaper on Wednesday. ♛“The NFL is planning for everything from playing without fans to playing in full stadiums. We know there will be a push from the [federal] government to open things up.”
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outlined the possibilities for the eventual return ♏of s🌞ports and the contingent requirements fo🦋r🌞 that to happen.
“There’s a way of doing that,” Dr. Fauci said. “Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [players and personnel] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well-surveilled …Have them𝄹 tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family. And just let them play the season out.”
President Donald Trump also indicate♓d multiple times this week his desire for sports to resume and held a conference call – his second in two weeks – with the commissioners of the various sports leagues, as well as with prominent team owners such as Jerry Jones of the Dall🍌as Cowboys.
The NFL previously has maintained publicly a desire to go ဣforward with its 2020 season as planned, but the Washington Post source added “the other leagues have to go first,” referring to the NBA, the NHL and MLB. Another 🐠person said in the same report that the NFL “obviously going to be looking at what the other leagues do” and confirmed the possibility of moving games or shortening the schedule if games cannot be played in certain cities due to COVID-19.
“I would assu⭕me that’s something you’re going to have to l😼ook at,” the source said. “There’s no way of knowing which states will be open and which won’t. There’s no question we’re going to have to think it through and put different scenarios to the owners.”
The NFL schedule for 2020 is slated to be💖 released around May 9 and is “being done in su𒀰ch a way that builds in that flexibility,” the source added.
“As we have said, we are committed to protecting the health of our fans, players, club and league personnel, and communities,” thℱe NFL said in a statement. “We look forward to the 2020 NFL season, and our guidelines and decisions will be guided by the latest advice from medical and public health officials, as well as current and future government regulations. We will continue to plan for the season and will be prepared to adjust as necessary, just as we have done with free agency, the draft, and now the offseas🌠on program.”