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The Impact Of The Coronavirus On The NFL

A lot of shuffling to keep things on schedule.

NFL: JAN 30 Super Bowl LIV - NFLPA Press Conference Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Last night, after rubbing and wiping down microphones, and making a point that the Coronavirus is no big deal, the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Last night’s game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was then cancelled. Both the Jazz and Thunder were tested. Out of 58 tests, only Donovan Mitchell tested positive. The NBA subsequently announced a suspension of the regular season until further notice.

Like the NBA, the NFL could make changes to its offseason calendar, though nothing has been done at the time of this posting. The franchise tag deadline remains next Monday, and free agency is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Currently, the NFL has no plans to move the start of the league’s new year.

Teams are pulling their coaches and scouts off the road, though. They are instituting travel bans and keeping things in house. If free agency does continue as it’s supposed to, it will probably be via calls, FaceTime, emails, and digital signatures instead of through face to face, pen to paper interactions.

The NFL itself is telling its staffers to work from home. That won’t delay voting on the new CBA.

The league has also canceled all player visits leading into the NFL Draft. College Pro Days are now in jeopardy. Already, fan experiences for the 2020 NFL Draft have been cancelled, and the event itself could be as well. The 2020 NFL Draft could end up being Roger Goodell at the podium and Mike Mayock Daniel Jeremiah in front of the camera.

To sum it up, things are carrying on in the NFL as usual, just in a quieter and stranger fashion. The CBA vote is still on, the new league year is still expected to start on time, free agency should still begin on Wednesday, and no changes have been made to the 2020 NFL Draft just yet.

Wash your hands. Hold your geezers tight. Wash your hands. Limit close human interaction. Wash your hands. Don’t go to big gatherings of people. It looks like things are going to get worse before they get better.