The NFL informed its 32 teams on Monday the league will not allow executives to conduct the upcoming draft from team facilities. Instead, teams will be forced to do so from home virtually via teleconferencing technology.
In a memo to the teams from commissioner Roger Goodell, teams were informed they must adhere to social distancing parameters put in place across the country to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Goodell and other heads of major sporting leagues across the country took part in a conference call with President Donald Trump on Saturday,
Trump told the NFL he expects the league to be able to start its season on time in Sept. But Goodell determined after that call that the league would not be able to hold its draft April 23-25 with every team having access to its facility.
The league has already canceled events in Las Vegas, where the draft was scheduled to be held, thanks to the coronavirus outbreak. Last year's draft in Nashville, Tenn., drew more than 600,000 fans over the three-day event.
Doing the draft virtually will not be a huge factor for teams. They're already meeting with prospects via conferencing and doing draft prep virtually.
Some teams have reportedly expressed some issues with the possibility of other tech-savvy teams or organizations hacking into their virtual meetings. The league is expected to come up with a plan to combat that issue and allow for uniformity among all 32 teams regarding what platform is used for the draft.
