The COVID-19 crisis has many wondering when the sports world will return to normal.
And while things certainly won’t be “normal” for a while, some in the NFL hope the outbreak will have a minimal impact on the league’s 2020 season.
According to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, some NFL coaches have engaged in “blunt” conversations with team doctors about the coronavirus. Freeman says there’s been “no sugarcoating or lying” about the severity of the issue, either.
That said, Freeman has talked to several coaches and front office executives that believe “it will be nearly impossible for the season to start on time.”
Some, he says, have predicted training camp will start in the fall.
One dynamic in play is that some coaches are having blunt conversations with team doctors. The doctors are telling them the truth. That the pandemic could last months. There’s been no sugarcoating or lying.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
One thing to pass along: I’m increasingly hearing from coaches and front office executives that they believe it will be nearly impossible for the season to start on time. Some believe training camp will start in the fall.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
The severity of the COVID-19 crisis appears to be sinking in across the league, Freeman says. And while no one in the league is suggesting the season will be postponed, Freeman says “some in the NFL aren’t trying to fool themselves.”
“They see the same data we do.”
On more of the ground level of the NFL, with coaches and team execs, there’s more of a blunt realization of where we are. This is exemplified by @AdamSchefter reporting on how GMs want draft postponement. But league office is pushing for as much normalcy as possible.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
No one is saying the season will be postponed, it’s just that some in the NFL aren’t trying to fool themselves. They see the same data we do.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 25, 2020
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton currently is the only person in the NFL that’s tested positive for the virus so far.
Training camps typically start in July, but it’s unclear how the current crisis will impact that timeline.
