Roger Goodell: 'It’s Important to Continue on Schedule as Best You Can'

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussed the upcoming NFL draft on Friday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday that he's trying to maintain as much routine as possible despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic drastically impacting the sports world and the world at-large.

“It’s important to have normalcy, it’s important to continue on schedule as best you can,” Goodell said on The Rich Eisen Show. “The draft itself will be different because it’s no longer a live event.”

Goodell added that every owner was in favor of holding the draft next Thursday, despite it becoming a virtual event. Per the league's commissioner, "people are comfortable with the technology."

"We’re doing this in a way that demonstrates that you can continue to do what you need to do in this country, and do it safely at home,” he said.

According to ESPN's Tim McManus, a virtual mock draft is set for Monday in which GMs from across the league will be given the opportunity to redraft some of the sport's legends in an effort not to reveal their thoughts on current draft prospects and still test the technology.

Many other teams are also expected to hold their own mock drafts to prepare for the league's annual event.

Earlier this week, the Washington Post's Mark Maske reported that as the league looks for ways to complete its regular season in the fall of 2020, the NFL is reportedly discussing potentially shortening its schedule.

The NFL schedule is expected to be released May 9 and according to the Post, it will account for the possibility of games being lost by a delayed start.

“The schedule is being done in such a way that builds in that flexibility,” a person familiar with the NFL's planning told the Post.

Per Maske, Goodell did not comment on the details of the contingencies being discussed in his interview with Eisen, but he did reiterate the NFL's plan to release the schedule May 9.