After the C. D. C. recommended gatherings of no more than 50 people, the N.
F. L. followed other leagues in calling off live events with crowds. The N.
F. L. has canceled plans to hold its draft publicly in Las Vegas and will conduct the three-day event in front of a television audience only, the latest sports-schedule change due to restrictions designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The draft will take place April 23-25, as originally planned.
“The N. F. L. is exploring innovative options for how the process will be conducted and will provide that information as it becomes available,” the league said in a statement.
“Public N. F. L. draft events in Las Vegas next month will not take place.
” The move came amid mounting skepticism that the N. F. L. would be able to host an event expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to the Strip in Las Vegas, even as nearly every other sports league and organization had shut down operations.
The draft, and the spectacle of first-round draft picks becoming newly minted millionaires on national television and in front of throngs of fans, has become one of the N. F. L. ’s marquee events.
Only the Super Bowl outranks it on the league’s calendar, and the live audience adds to the draft’s appeal — with N. F. L. Commissioner Roger Goodell hugging top picks as fans cheer or boo both the commissioner and their favorite team’s decisions.
The N. F. L. has encouraged the frenzy and also tried to monetize it.
This year’s version was expected to be the largest ever, hosted by the Las Vegas Raiders, who are scheduled to open a $1. 9 billion stadium this season, playing their first games in Nevada in September after moving from Oakland, Calif. But new guidance announced on Sunday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — limiting gatherings to 50 people for the next eight weeks — made holding the draft with fans in attendance nearly impossible. Goodell said the decision to cancel the live-audience element was made “in consideration of current information related to Covid-19 and guidance from medical experts such as the C.
Denise Rife scored 111 points in an Iowa high school game, was drafted by the Warriors in 1969 and appeared on “The Tonight Show.” She needs a second hip replac...
D. C. , and in coordination with public authorities in Nevada and the City of Las Vegas.
“” The Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, expressed support for the decision in a statement.”
“Health and safety has always been our top priority, so despite it being a major disappointment, this was the right decision,” he said. Last week, the league canceled its annual meetings with owners, general managers and coaches that were set to be held at the end of this month in Palm Beach, Fla. , and clubs have eliminated nonessential travel, complicating the evaluations of free agents and potential draft picks. Still, the N.
F. L. waited until Monday to call off public events at the draft and faced growing criticism that it did not fully grasp the gravity of the global pandemic. The C.
D. C. ’s new recommendations coincided with an announcement that MGM Resorts International, which operates some of the largest and most famous casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, would shut down until further notice. The draft was going to be held at some MGM properties, including the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, where a red-carpet walk by the top prospects was to take place on a stage in the famed fountains out front.
Also on Sunday, Wynn Resorts, another prominent casino operator in Las Vegas, said that it would close properties in the city for two weeks. In recent years, the N. F. L.
has increased the size and scale of the draft. For decades, it was held in Midtown Manhattan at Radio City Music Hall, with a short red-carpet event for high-profile players arriving on the first night. The league has moved the draft to Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and Nashville since then, adding ancillary events that have created festival-like settings. Three networks — ESPN, the NFL Network and Fox Sports — now broadcast the proceedings, and more than 2,000 news media passes are issued in some years.
This year’s event was supposed to be even more extravagant, partly because it coincides with the arrival of a new team in Las Vegas, and partly because of the city’s reputation for glitz and partying. The N. F. L.
has ways of re-creating the draft as a made-for-television event, including using the N. F. L. Network studios.
Instead of gathering in one location, the potential top picks could appear live via remote camera. While the N. F. L.
scaled back the draft, it appeared determined to continue with many other essential functions. As of Monday, the N. F. L.
had not delayed the start of the new league year on Wednesday. On Sunday, the N. F. L.
Players Association ratified a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, which gave teams the green light to start assigning franchise tags. They are now preparing to sign free agents starting Wednesday.
The Day in (no) sports New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton shared his favorite plays on Twitter, alternative brackets are still getting busted and a Swedish so...
It is already difficult for the lowest events on the men’s and women’s tours, even in a good economy. Now, the upending of the sports calendar by the coronaviru...
