NFL cancels meetings because of coronavirus, no decision of draft timing yet
The NFL has joined other major sports leagues in altering its plans in reaction to the coronavirus outbreak.
The league on Thursday canceled its annual owners meetings scheduled for March 29 through April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.
“There will be full consideration and votes on any open football issues, including playing rules, bylaws, and resolutions, as well as other business matters that were on the agenda for the Annual Meeting, at the Spring meeting scheduled for May 19-20,” the league said in a statement.
“Most of the first day will be dedicated to football-related issues. Head coaches and general managers will participate in the meeting. This decision was made consistent with the league’s primary concern to protect the health of club and league employees and the public while enabling the league to continue with its essential business operations. We will continue to closely monitor developments, consult with leading experts, and be prepared to make any changes necessary as circumstances warrant.”
No decision has been made about pushing back the draft scheduled to begin April 23. The staged event of the draft, scheduled to take place along the Las Vegas strip, likely will not go on as originally planned as large-scale events throughout the country have been canceled or delayed.
The 49ers, meanwhile, announced Thursday their headquarters and Levi’s Stadium will be shut down “until further notice” beginning Friday. Public and private events put on by the team have also been canceled.
Traveling scouts preparing for the draft had been advised earlier in the week to avoid airports and travel to pro days by car but have been requested to return home by the weekend. A number of pro days throughout the country have already been canceled. Prospect agents have said on Twitter they plan on canceling in-person top-30 visits leading up to the draft.
As of Thursday, the 49ers had not had any top-30 visits with prospects yet that are typically a crucial part of the evaluation process. They allow teams to get to know players through interviews and meetings at their facilities. Those visits likely will be replaced by video conferences. General manager John Lynch and his staff will be forced to rely more heavily on their previous work from the season and game film.
The new league year remains scheduled to begin March 18 at 1 p.m. on the West Coast, when free agents can officially sign with new teams. The “legal tampering period” begins two days earlier, allowing free agents to begin negotiations with new teams.
The NBA suspended its season on Wednesday night while numerous college basketball conference tournaments were canceled on Thursday. Both the NHL and MLS suspended their seasons. Major League Baseball said it would suspend spring training games and delay the start of the regular season by at least two weeks.
There have been more 127,000 cases of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins, while the U.S. has about 1,300 cases with 38 reported deaths.
The County of Santa Clara on Tuesday, where the 49ers play their games and have their facility, ordered all events with more than 1,000 people be canceled.
Levi’s Stadium is scheduled to host a Monster Jam monster truck show April 4, Korean K-Pop band BTS concerts April 25 and 26, and a Justin Bieber concert May 22. No decision to cancel or delay those shows has been made.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
