Typically, this is the time of year that the NFL releases their schedule complete with a hyped-up schedule release show on NFL Network.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has decided to push back releasing the schedule. The projected date is Thursday, May 7.
NBC Sports’ Peter King believes one of the reasons the league is delaying the schedule announcement is so that it can survey the landscape; to see what kind of shape the country is in.
King speculates that the league will possibly consider the option of abbreviating the schedule by as many as 2-4 games, which could affect non-division games and bye weeks.
For the last five years, King has been embedded with the team that compiles the schedule.
The regular season is currently due to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10 and concludes Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021.
Releasing a potential schedule and actually playing it are worlds apart at this point. The NFL is publicly stating that the season will start on time. But the league’s chief medical offer, Dr. Allen Sills, says it’s essential for there to be widespread testing with near-immediate results for the league to reopen. As of this time, however, such tests are not available.
“As long as we’re still in a place where when a single individual tests positive for the virus that you have to quarantine every single person who was in contact with them in any shape, form or fashion, then I don’t think you can begin to think about reopening a team sport,” Sills said to NFL.com. “Because we’re going to have positive cases for a very long time.”
As of now, Sills said there is no timeline for when a decision has to be made about whether the regular season could start on time.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/steele...the-nfl-will-delay-and-abbreviate-season/amp/
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has decided to push back releasing the schedule. The projected date is Thursday, May 7.
NBC Sports’ Peter King believes one of the reasons the league is delaying the schedule announcement is so that it can survey the landscape; to see what kind of shape the country is in.
King speculates that the league will possibly consider the option of abbreviating the schedule by as many as 2-4 games, which could affect non-division games and bye weeks.
For the last five years, King has been embedded with the team that compiles the schedule.
The regular season is currently due to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10 and concludes Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021.
Releasing a potential schedule and actually playing it are worlds apart at this point. The NFL is publicly stating that the season will start on time. But the league’s chief medical offer, Dr. Allen Sills, says it’s essential for there to be widespread testing with near-immediate results for the league to reopen. As of this time, however, such tests are not available.
“As long as we’re still in a place where when a single individual tests positive for the virus that you have to quarantine every single person who was in contact with them in any shape, form or fashion, then I don’t think you can begin to think about reopening a team sport,” Sills said to NFL.com. “Because we’re going to have positive cases for a very long time.”
As of now, Sills said there is no timeline for when a decision has to be made about whether the regular season could start on time.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/steele...the-nfl-will-delay-and-abbreviate-season/amp/
