Reports: NFL to cancel two preseason games amid COVID-19 concerns
The NFL is expected to cut the number of preseason games in half amid concerns of the spreading coronavirus.
According to multiple reports, the league will cancel the first and fourth preseason games from teams’ schedules, leaving the 49ers with games against the Las Vegas Raiders at home Aug. 21 and Chicago Bears on the road Aug. 29, though schedules are subject to change.
The decision means San Francisco’s trip to play Denver in the exhibition opener Aug. 15 and finale hosting the Chargers on Sept. 3 will no longer happen.
The move is expected to be announced Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk. It will come after an unprecedented offseason which included no team-organized practices since early March. Players and coaches were limited to meeting virtually over video conferences, though some players have worked out together despite the NFL Players Association advising them to avoid one another to slow the spread of the virus.
Canceling the preseason games will allow players more time to acclimate to football conditions and avoid injuries that can occur in full-contact games. The 49ers are expected to begin their training camp July 28 with a majority of the league. The league June 25 canceled the Hall of Fame Game between the Cowboys and Steelers on Aug. 6. That game typically kicks off the exhibition slate.
The move is hardly a surprise as COVID-19 cases continue to spread throughout the country. California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week reissued restrictions throughout the state prohibiting restaurants and bars from allowing indoor patrons after some of the state had reopened in June. Florida, Arizona and Texas, home to six NFL teams combined, have also seen a drastic increase in new daily cases.
Santa Clara County, where the 49ers have their headquarters next to Levi’s Stadium, has remained one of the most restricted in the state when it comes to reopening. The team’s headquarters have not been allowed to reopen, save for a small group of players rehabbing from injuries. Coaches and other high-ranking officials have been forced to stay home.
An unnamed 49ers player tested positive for coronavirus last month following a throwing session featuring most of club’s skill position players in Nashville. The team said it would not disclose which players have and will test positive.
The league is preparing to have few to no fans in the stands if and when the regular season starts. Teams have already been given clearance to tarp of lower sections of seating to sell advertisements to offset some of the revenue that’s expected to be lost with fans not allowed in stadiums.