League execs have given no deadline for having to decide about the NFL regular seasonGETTY IMAGES
Senior NFL execs are planning for the ’20 season to start as normal on Sept. 10 -- with fans in the stadiums, international games and no postponements. NFL Exec VP & General Counsel Jeff Pash explained the league’s optimism by saying, "What the doctors are looking at are models that address the effectiveness of different kinds of interventions, on how the curve has trended down and tailed off in other countries, and what they believe will be the result based on the modeling that’s done in this country.” They believe the current U.S. efforts to stop the virus by closing businesses and banning gatherings will work quickly enough to allow for the NFL to return -- and for the crucial new stadiums in L.A. and Las Vegas to be completed. League execs gave no deadline for having to decide about the regular season. In the meantime, the NFL is considering plans for virtual offseason programs for players, and has delayed the schedule release from mid-April to early May, though that was already in the works before the current crisis began in the U.S. “Our expectation is fully directed at playing a full season and starting on schedule. ... Just as we did in 2019,” Pash said. “Am I certain? I’m not certain I’ll be here tomorrow, but I’m planning on it. That’s what we talked about" (Ben Fischer, THE DAILY).
NOT WORKING ON ALTERNATIVES: YAHOO SPORTS’ Charles Robinson noted Pash suggested that as of now, the NFL “has not begun working on ‘break the glass’ scenarios that might include a delayed start, shortened season or playing games in empty stadiums.” He indicated that the league is “hesitant to create those kinds of options, apparently waiting to see the data and health advisories in the coming months.” That stance is a “very on-brand response to a changing health environment this offseason” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/31).
BIG MONEY CONSIDERATIONS IN PLAY: SI.com’s Jenny Vrentas noted there is "a lot of money on the line for the NFL if there is any interruption to the season, which is no doubt why the NFL so resolutely, defiantly even, announced that it is planning for a normal season.” Major advertisers and sponsors are currently making cuts, but the NFL “wants them to know it is planning to go forward so they plan to go forward with their business” (SI.com, 3/31). THE ATHLETIC’s Jones & Kaplan noted the league is “sending two messages despite what some might criticize as a discordant tone with the virus’ carnage in full force: don’t panic, and it’s OK to buy tickets, ads and sponsorships” (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/31).
MAINTAINING A STRONG FRONT: USA TODAY’s Mike Jones writes the “business-as-usual declaration seems perplexing” to a degree, as that stance “could be misconstrued as either overly optimistic or calloused.” However, given the NFL’s move to “proceed with free agency and the draft … the undaunted approach shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.” The league will “try to remain as unflinching as possible when it comes to the long-term picture, and officials will adjust as needed in the short-term” (USA TODAY, 4/1). In Chicago, Dan Wiederer writes the league’s optimism “certainly sounded comforting,” as after “two weeks of widespread seclusion, of work-from-home isolation and grocery-store anxiety, even the smallest promise of normalcy seems tantalizing” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/1). But in N.Y., Manish Mehta writes the NFL’s plan is “equal parts optimistic, delusional and greedy.” At a time when the coronavirus pandemic “has paralyzed the sports world, America’s most popular pastime soldiers on with more than a whiff of defiance” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/1).
SAFETY NEEDS TO BE PARAMOUNT: In Ft. Lauderdale, Safid Deen notes if the NFL does play as scheduled, it will have “plenty to overcome simply beginning with the health of players, coaches and others involved in the game-day process.” That includes at least 15 people involved in the opening coin toss, “44 players and seven total referees depending if a player already took the field," and 96 active players on the sidelines, not counting “upwards of 20 coaches and team staff members both sides need during a game on the sideline." Deen: “That’s a lot of people convening in one setting for a football game to be played. And that’s without accounting for fans in the stands” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 4/1). USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell notes efficient mass testing of players, staff and others “is an obvious prerequisite that must be secured along with other logistics” for the NFL to start the season on time. A reliable test “providing a rapid diagnosis would go a long way toward addressing the league's need for global testing -- and for dealing with the potential of another outbreak later in the year” (USA TODAY, 4/1).
