NFL Facilities Can Begin Reopening Next Week

Teams located in states where stay-at-home restrictions have been eased will be able to begin letting employees back into their headquarters.

Patricia Traina, GiantsCountry.com, a SI.com Channel

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all 32 NFL teams permitting clubs to reopen their headquarters as soon as Tuesday, May 16, provided that their state governments have eased stay-at-home orders.

From the NFL to owners and presidents regarding the potential reopening of facilities amid the Coronavirus pandemic pic.twitter.com/YKpyDQaGvq

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 15, 2020

According to the details of the memo, team facilities can reopen provided they do so under “governing state and local regulations, are in compliance with additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction, and have implemented the protocols that were developed by Dr. (Allen) Sills,” the league's chief medical officer.

Recently, the league requested teams to develop plans in stages to reopen their facilities. Per the latest league memo, teams may not admit more than 50% of their staff to their buildings, with the number not to exceed 75 for all facilities under a team's daily operating jurisdiction. 

Players will not be allowed in the facility unless they are rehabbing or receiving treatment. No coaching staff members may be present in the building either to maintain competitive equity among the clubs who, like the Giants and Jets, are still operating under New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's executive order that non-essential businesses remain closed until further notice.

Also, teams that are allowed to reopen must ensure that their employees practice social distancing and take the proper precautions to prevent airborne illnesses. They must also promptly report any incidence of COVID-19 that develops in the facility.

“It takes more than four days to reopen a facility that has been shut down for two months,” the Giants said in a statement. 

“We are subject to state regulations. Bottom line, when we are cleared on all fronts to go back, we will, in an orderly, systematic, and safe way to protect those in our building. It has been a process and protocol we have been developing for the last month or two.”