PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the Chicago Bears (from 49ers) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Monday morning, the NFL announced that they will cancel all public events in Las Vegas for the NFL draft.
With the NFL trying to prevent any spread of the exponential growth of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the league is closing down the NFL draft to the public. However, the draft will proceed as scheduled on April 23-25. The draft will be televised but the league is still “exploring innovative options for how the process will be conducted.” The NFL also announced last week that teams were prohibited from conducting pre-draft visits to team facilities due to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis.
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The NFL said it took into consideration guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as officials from Nevada and the City of Las Vegas in making this announcement.
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“This decision reflects our foremost priority – the health and safety of all fans and citizens,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday in a statement. “While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl.”
The NFL worked with the City of Las Vegas to release renderings that showed initial plans for the draft festivities in Vegas back in January. This includes prospects arriving to the red carpet on the fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel by boat.
However, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged the public to cancel or postpone gatherings of 50 or more people with over the next eight weeks, and as the virus continues to spread, the sporting world has shut down or postponed an overwhelming majority of events the NFL decided to follow within these guidelines.
“Health and safety has always been our top priority, so despite it being a major disappointment, this was the right decision,” Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “Although Las Vegas lost this chance to shine, there will be many more opportunities to show the world just what Las Vegas is made of. Whether it be the Draft, the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl, the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World is ready!”
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