Jay Inslee Gives Green Light for Seahawks, Other Professional Teams in Washington
Washington governor Jay Inslee's office has issued a set of guidelines paving the way for the return of professional sports in the state starting on June 5.
Per the guidelines, all professional sporting activities will be allowed to resume, including office operations up to 50 people, full practices, and spectator-less games, if a set of specific set of criteria is met.
Organizations such as the Seahawks must follow league-wide and team-specific "return to play" safety plans that have been approved by the league's player's association or union. The team must also report dates for full practices and preseason spectator-less games to respective county health officials in advance.
While Seattle hasn't been able to reopen its facility to this point due to King County still being in a modified "Phase 1.5" of Inslee's reopening plan, this new set of guidelines will allow professional sports teams throughout the state to resume activities, regardless of phase, as long as the aforementioned benchmarks are hit.
On Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the league would allow coaches to return to facilities starting on June 5. Only the 49ers were expected to not be cleared by state and local officials to bring coaches back at this time.
It remains unclear when the Seahawks will reopen the VMAC in Renton, but this latest development provides hope coaches will be able to return soon and eventually players will be allowed back at the facility to prepare for training camp in July.
