Roger Goodell Orders All NFL Teams Shut Down Facilities

All NFL club facilities must shut down by 6:00pm ET local time for at least two weeks, Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered in a memo shared with teams on Tuesday. The league will reassess the situation on April 8. In practice, all NFL teams have altered operations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and many are already subject to mandatory “stay at home” orders from local or state governments. But Goodell said he issued the leaguewide order “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.”

Teams are free to conduct all normal business operations, Goodell said, including signing players, evaluating draft prospects and selling tickets. Exceptions to the rules include medical professionals who are providing ongoing health care for players, security guards and those tech employees necessary to maintain remote work. The rules were first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.