The 2020 NFL draft will not be rescheduled due to COVID-19 concerns, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). The league’s Management Council Executive Committee discussed the issue earlier today, and commissioner Roger Goodell subsequently sent a memo to teams indicating the committee “was unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft should go forward as scheduled on April 23-25, 2020.” Goodell’s full memo is available here.
At a time when most other professional sports leagues have hit pause on their respective seasons, the NFL has gone in a different direction. Of course, the NFL doesn’t have to worry about canceling an ongoing season of actual play. Instead, the NFL weighed whether to postpone last week’s free agent period before ultimately deciding to proceed, and have made a similar decision on the draft.
That’s not to say the NFL hasn’t made any changes due to the threat of COVID-19. The league canceled all pre-draft visits and has ordered all NFL teams to close down their facilities. And the draft itself won’t occur in a normal fashion. Selections will be broadcast from a studio setting with cut-ins from the headquarters of the teams on the clock, and all draft-related events scheduled to be held in Las Vegas have been canceled.
While Goodell announced the decision to proceed with the draft as a “unanimous” accord, reports have suggested some level of pushback on the part of NFL front offices. Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini of ESPN.com indicated earlier this week that NFL general managers had concerns there won’t be enough time for “player physicals, gathering psychological testing, [and] getting further verified information about the players.”
We could really use a safe way to enjoy a sporting event. Good for the NFL.
really stretching the definition of sporting event here, huh? there’s no competition.
might as well just do it behind closed doors and then release the results after. are fans going to be in attendance? nope. so not really much of the spectacle then is it?
I like watching the draft and the excitement of who the pick will be, so yes it’s good.
couldn’t you just read a transcript and get the same effect? or do you like dotard in chief require pictures to be able to follow along?
Oddly enough, the possibility DOES exist that others might enjoy things that you don’t.
thanks Captain Obvious.
couldn’t you just read a transcript and get the same effect?
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Wow, you must live a stunningly dull life. Why watch a baseball game, when you could just read the boxscore instead? Better yet, why not wait until the season is over, and look at your team’s record to see how they did?
You need to get out and live, and be involved.
Reminds me of a guy who owned a boat next to mine. He never took it out on the lakes. Just sat in it docked at the pier and bragged about all the gas $ he was saving.
But why go out on the water when you can read The Old Man and the Sea?
I would think the inclusion of teams, advantageous trading of draft picks and general subterfuge denotes competition, does it not?
Sure. I feel a bit sorry for Elbow. I’d love to be at the event live.
It is not a sporting event
It is an event that involves sports.
sports fans need this. thank God that it’s not going to be rescheduled.
Yes for sure.
no we don’t. pretty sure the average sports fan could use some stimulus money to pay their rent/mortgage, the electric bill, the auto loan, childcare ya know things that actually everyday people rely on to get by. but thank god we get the triviality of the NFL draft to whet our desperate sports palates.
Hey Einstein, calm down with ur “smart guy” words that nobody gives a crap about just to make ur point. If you don’t like football or sports, then don’t comment or stay off the sites. Pretty simple. No one gives a damn bout ur liberal, sensitive comments. Its the draft dude, chill out.
Lmao that might be the most ignorant, cluster of crap ever put together by another human. Don’t be upset because you can’t read a well thought out, rational response to the issues currently at hand. “Smart guy words” lol how embarrassing.
Yes, I was not aware the NFL was considering a stimulus package for fans instead of going ahead with the draft either.
Now I’m torn…
oh i’m too smart for your barely above room temperature IQ? Did you have to break out the dictionary to understand the context? thank you for proving my point you ignorant cuck.
oh i’m too smart for your barely above room temperature IQ?
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You’re a dullard. I have not seen a single word from you that suggests you know anything about writing.
Jleusn here’s hoping you catch something uncurable. Ooops seems like you already have it. Can’t fix stupid.
ThePeople’sElbow why are you posting on a SPORTS forum and bashing people talking about something sports related? This might not be the best place to voice your lovely attitude. Just saying.
Are you okay bro? Do you need some help or therapy?
.Im a Democrat , ThePeoplesElbow is why we are failing as a party, they are our own worst enemies from within-
Get a grip dude, your making us all look bad
Im a Democrat , ThePeoplesElbow is why we are failing as a party,
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Don’t sweat it. I’m a RW-C, but 90% of your guys are interchangeable with 90% of my guys. It’s guys like Elbow that are the real outsiders.
the average sports fan could use some stimulus money
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You must be one of those people that think we cannot have a stimulus AND a draft.
Pretty sure we can.
Only change is I wish it was a round a night and space it out to 7 nights….nothing else on….milk it for a week.
That isn’t a totally bad idea.
Agreed. May as well make it a huge event. The NFL really has nothing to lose either, absolutely zero competition.
Great idea.
I concur. More attention will be devoted to later round picks, leading to deeper analysis and each night of the draft can be broadcast in primetime
Real good idea !
They moved the days around for the exact opposite of that reason.
Used to be
Day 1: R1/R2
Day 2: R3/R4
Day 3: R5/R6/R7
They changed it to
Day 1: R1
Day 2: R2/R3
Day 3: R4/R5/R6/R7
Because no one was tuning in for the late rounds
It’ll be a great test case for other leagues to see play out. Nhl didnt have the to try it.
I completely disagree with all of you. I think throwing around millions of dollars while literally millions of people just lost their jobs is about as bad an idea as I have ever heard.
Its a draft…..they dont even get paid on the spot. The people not wanting Goodell to sit in a room and brodcast picks are ridiculous.
Hey, Hellen Keller. They just spent the last 2 weeks throwing around about a half a billion dollars.
Were talking about the draft dude.
It’s all part of the same conversation dude.
Others doing well has never bothered me.
Mark Twain referred to it twice-tainted money. He said ‘it’aint mine and it’aint yours.
I understand that some folks just got laid off. At the same time, every business goes on as usual. Costco and other warehouse stores, Amazon, the pharmas, hospitals, etc., are all making a gazillion $$$. I just don’t care.
I’ve had 3 jobs relocate on me. I never once thought about how much the baseball players were making, while I was watching the games.
The world doesn’t stop should I lose my job. I’d prefer to not lose my job, but if I do, I’m hoping the RS/NYY game is on TV that night.
They just aren’t related in any way.
You’re welcome to your opinion. I disagree. It’s football at the moment. And it’s just a bad look.
Think about it from a different perspective.
If they have the draft, how many people’s lives will be happier, even if just for a couple of days? Millions.
If they don’t have the draft, will even one, single person in this country be better off?
My comment is more about the millions being thrown around in free agency, so this is probably not the right article to make that point. However there are numerous pieces on this site and others that question whether in a climate, specifically in the middle of this pandemic with millions out of work, that flashing your wad of cash in public isn’t a classless, thoughtless way to do business.
The draft, while entertaining and probably a good distraction, is gonna happen, not because of any public minded gesture, but because Goodell and the owners really don’t give damn about anything but what’s going to keep their river of money flowing.
No, we won’t be better off if they do or don’t move the draft. But, and this just my opinion, I do have a problem with the arrogance of the NFL.
horrible idea. and then to issue a gag order on dissenting opinion. is he running a cabal?
Goodell worst commissioner of all the sports.
Given that the draft is largely a hit and miss affair (especially after the second round) I’ve never understood why there is such hoopla surrounding the event. I don’t have an issue with it being held in the proposed manner however.
Exactly.. it’s hard to guess how these guys will do in different schemes until you try it
Good move. The China Flu “pandemic” should be over soon despite all the doom and gloom the left wing media is feeding us.
Ridiculous comment. Countries like Italy, Spain and France are still seeing an increase in cases but you probably think they are part of the media conspiracy as well.
Hahaha, wow Nostradamus, can i quote you on that?
Yeah, its all a hoax right?
The liberals can’t stop you from licking hand rails!
It’s your patriotic duty to go touch every surface in every public area you can find and prove this is all just “doom and gloom”.
But remember, just like the anti-vaccer’s, hoaxers don’t get the vaccine when it comes out…
Hopefully you and your idiot brethren will ignore all safety measures and the world will be down a few thousand idiots and societal anchors
to have postponed it while not having the actual event part of it would have been terribly silly.