As the league prepares for training camp and players begin to report to team facilities, the NFL announced on Monday evening that it has officially cancelled the 2020 preseason.
While the preseason games are unimportant to fans and teams as a whole, they serve has a proving ground for players battling for a roster spot and give evaluators more film on a player.
This official news comes the same day that 12 players and 2 coaches of the Miami Marlins tested positive for Covid-19. The NFL is scheduled to start their season in September. This time of year is when fan anticipation really starts to ramp up for the NFL season.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell published an open letter on Monday evening. In the letter he stated; “The NFL in 2020 will not look like other years. Players and coaches will be tested for the virus regularly, including every day for a while. Preseason games have been canceled.”
“When there is a positive test, strict regulations will be enforced to isolate and care for that individual and to contain the virus before it spreads,” Goodell wrote, adding that state and local health guidelines will determine whether fans will attend games this season.
Where the NBA is restarting their season on July 30th in bubble in Disney, the NFL will attempt to play games in their home stadiums like the MLB.
The news out of the MLB gives commissioner Goodell and the league a cautionary tale of what lies ahead for them. The health and safety of its players is of the utmost concern. The coming days and weeks will be interesting to see how the league and teams navigate these waters.
Go Pack Go!
Anthony Haag is a writer for PackersTalk.com. He has been a Packers fan since the day he was born and truly bleeds green and gold. He makes annual visits to Lambeau Field and has attended his fair share of games. You can follow Anthony on Twitter at @anthony_haag
