Will NFL Need To Follow Other Leagues' Lead with Coronavirus Precautions?
DALLAS - Coronavirus's impact on the sports world is undeniable. ... an it's spreading. At what point does it impact the NFL?
On Monday, the Italian government called for a nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak, suspending Serie A football matches and all Italian sporting events. Schools and Universities have already been closed in Italy until April 3.
Professional sports teams in the United States have also made temporary changes in the wake of the virus. Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League have closed team locker rooms and clubhouses to media.
The MLB, MLS, NBA, and NHL issued the following joint statement:
“After consultation with infectious disease and public health experts, and given the issues that can be associated with close contact in pre- and post-game settings, all team locker rooms, and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice. Media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room and clubhouse setting. These temporary changes will be effective beginning with tomorrow’s games and practices.
We will continue to closely monitor this situation and take any further steps necessary to maintain a safe and welcoming environment.”
More drastic steps could be coming for the NBA, with rising concerns from owners and executives, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. This could mean NBA games played with only essential personnel - no fans - in arenas.
The Dallas Mavericks and coach Rick Carlisle are prepared.
“I’m married to a beautiful infectious disease doctor,” Carlisle said of his wife, Donna, when DallasBasketball.com first posed the question to him on Sunday night. “I encourage everyone to get educated about it the way I’ve been educated about it. And we’ve just got to do the right things.
"Knowledge is the No. 1 first step.”
Per the league’s Sunday memo, every NBA team has been advised to implement the following precautions in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus. Including:
· An arrangement with an infectious disease specialist;
· Identification of facilities for testing for the coronavirus;
· Plans to limit team and arena staff who have close contact with players;
· Plans to ensure the distribution of hand sanitizer to players and team staff.
“The NFL continues to closely monitor coronavirus developments and has been in contact with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NFL-NFLPA medical experts at the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network,” the NFL said in a recent statement. “We will continue those discussions throughout the offseason.”
In an idea world, the NFL won't have to deal with this. But the NFL Draft is coming. Training camps are coming. And the regular season won't be far behind. The other leagues are creating a template that hopefully will never have to be used again.
