Packers Limit Travel, Close Lambeau Field in Response to Coronavirus

Elsewhere in the sporting world, the NCAA scrapped its basketball tournaments, the NHL put its season on hold and MLB delayed the start of its regular season by at least two weeks.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Bay Packers announced on Thursday they are suspending all business-related air travel for their employees, including coaches and scouts ahead of free agency and the NFL draft.

“Our priority is the health and safety of our staff and visitors,” Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said. “This is a decision we made with all due consideration, and we feel it is an important step to take in helping mitigate the spread of the virus.”

The team also announced it is closing business to the public for two weeks. According to a news release, the closure will apply to all Lambeau Field Atrium businesses, including the Packers Pro Shop, Packers Hall of Fame and 1919 Kitchen & Tap, as well as all team-run public activities in Titletown, including the playground and 46 Below.

After monitoring the coronavirus developments over the last few days, the organization made the decision with public safety and community well-being in mind, the team said in a statement.

After two weeks, the team will reassess the situation.

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Scouts have been on the road – the team was represented at Clemson on Thursday, for instance. Since scouts work regionally and frequently drive from one school to the next, their work might not be impacted dramatically by the restrictions on air travel. Other teams, including the Vikings and the Rams, sent their scouts home.

The weight room had been open for players who live in the area; a team spokesman was not sure if that would remain the case. While the "majority" of team personnel "will be required to work remotely as duties permit," it's not clear if that pertains to general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff, as they get ready for free agency and the draft, or coach Matt LaFleur and his staff, as they tinker with the playbook and get ready for the start of the offseason program on April 20.

Regardless, the announcement was a change of direction by the team in a rapidly evolving situation. On Wednesday, a few hours before the NBA put its season hold, the team was taking a “business as usual” approach. The scouts were on the pro-day circuit, the coaches were working and the business side of the operation continued to work from the stadium as normal. 

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For the second consecutive day, the global pandemic left the sporting world in disarray.

The first major casualty for the NFL was the annual meeting, scheduled for March 29 through April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.

“This decision was made consistent with the league’s primary concern to protect the health of club and league employees and the public while enabling the league to continue with its essential business operations,” the league said in a release.

The league’s business will get done via telephone and computer. Other issues, such as rules changes, will get pushed back to the spring meeting, set for May 19 and 20.

The “NFL plans to hold calls with team owners and execs on March 29 and 30 in lieu of the in-person summit,” SI.com’s Albert Breer said. “They’ll at least advance some of the discussions planned, and may vote on a few, per an NFL memo.”

The league-year will start, as scheduled, at 3 p.m. (Central) Wednesday. That means no changes to the start of free agency, which is scheduled to start simultaneously with the start of the league-year, even though uncertain travel might make it impossible for free-agent signees to take a physical.

While pro days continued on college campuses across the nation on Thursday, one prominent agent, Mike McCartney of Priority Sports, said it would be his “strong recommendation that my players don’t travel for any team visits.” Each team is allowed 30 predraft visits. Some of those visits are used on top players. Other visits are used on players who were not invited to the Scouting Combine and/or have medical issues that teams want to check out.

In an incredible move that spoke of the uncertainty regarding coronavirus, the NCAA decided to scrap its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. In fact, it canceled all of its winter and spring championships, meaning there would be no College World Series, either.

“Today, NCAA president Mark Emmert and the board of governors canceled the Division I men's and women's 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships,” the NCAA said in a statement. “This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to the spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decision by other entities.”

Earlier in the day, conference basketball tournaments, some of which began on Wednesday, were cancelled. The Big East canceled its men’s basketball tournament on Thursday – at halftime of the first game.

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Major League Baseball canceled the rest of the spring training games and pushed back Opening Day for at least two weeks.

“MLB and the clubs have been preparing for a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular-season schedule,” the league said in a statement. “MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.”

The NHL, following the lead of the NBA from Wednesday, suspended its regular season.

“The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures,” the league said in a statement. “However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.”

The XFL ended its inaugural season, as well.

In Wisconsin, the WIAA – the governing body of high school sports – announced that its state basketball tournaments would be held without fans. The girls tournament started on Thursday at the Resch Center, which is located across the street from Lambeau Field. The boys tournament, held annually at the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus, is now homeless. UW announced it would not host the tournament, which is set for next week.