In a conference call with 12 sports commissioners Saturday, President Donald Trump said the NFL should start its season on time, Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com report. The president added that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums by August or September.
This would obviously be a major win for the NFL, which as of now plans to start its season on time and with fans in stadiums. However, considering the uncertainty COVID-19 has caused, it is difficult to determine how realistic a scenario of starting the season on time will be.
Trump said later Saturday afternoon he expects fans in stadiums and arenas “sooner than later” but added that he is not committing to the August-September range (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo).
An NFL return by Week 1 would hinge on widespread coronavirus testing being available, according to NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills. The league proceeding with large groups of fans cannot be a known reality until a vaccine is available, Sills added (via Judy Battista of NFL.com). The vaccine timetable, as of this week, is approximately 18 months. Sills said the NFL will follow recommendations from public health officials.
“I would say that’s everyone’s hope, that we are in a position to do that,” Sills said earlier this week regarding starting the season on time. “But the reality is none of us know those facts for certain right now. We hope and pray for the best and prepare for the worst, realizing that is one potential outcome that we will be back fully in business playing games as normal in front of fans on schedule. But it’s certainly not the only outcome.”
Asked Saturday about California teams having fans in stadiums by September, governor Gavin Newsom said he is not optimistic about such a scenario (Twitter link via CNN’s Ronald Brownstein). That would certainly create issues for the 49ers, Chargers and Rams.
The NFL’s offseason programs are on hold, but teams are not giving up hope on some type of ramping-up period before training camp. The league has closed all 32 teams’ facilities, and no more than 10 people can be in draft war rooms later this month. When exactly the league will return to on-field action is not known, but the NFL’s goal (and the president’s) is for the league to start its 101st season on time.
It has seemed unlikely this season will happen for a while. Even when the curve comes down, it isn’t over. We’ll need literally billions of tests to consider things operating as normal.
If Trump says open on time, that clinches it for me that it will definitely not open on time.
I’ve never thought once a season was unlikely.
If you think that it definitely will not open on time, that clinches it for me that it definitely will.
Billions of tests? Good grief, did you really intend to say billions? I hope it was a typo.
Not even billions of people in the US Aaron
Trump realizes the importance of getting these leagues back up and running, as well as keeping everyone healthy.
To say that Trump realizes anything related to the pandemic, would be to realize he’s wrong.
Wishing the president to fail, regardless of who it is and what party you represent is ridiculous. It’s like wishing for the pilot to have a heart attack and the plane go down in flames
TheCoronerCalled didn’t say he/she wanted Trump to fail, just that he’s a blubbering idiot.
He is definitely not that
Trump proves every day that he’s a blubbering idiot. The leaders of the individual sports leagues acted faster than Trump to take this seriously. It’s their brands that are on the line if the open too early and cause people to get sick and die.
Trump had the travel ban before the leagues ceased operations
Yes he did! And he is doing a great job at keeping us as a country going. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes during all this
He can’t win. The idiots out there won’t let him and that’s just wrong. Pull together as a nation and let’s get through this together
Preach!
Hey, I don’t want him to fail, I want him to succeed and for this to all be over soon, but I can’t believe I’m still seeing comments supporting his handling of this situation.
It was his decision to politicize the pandemic by initially calling it a hoax, no one forced him to do that, and no one was blaming him for anything until he refused to take it seriously and made it a media/liberal “hoax”.
Just who are the “idiots” that won’t let him bring us together? As if he’s actually trying to do that!?! Just a crazy statement that’s also hysterically hypocritical, so congrats there.
And how is he trying to do that by the way?
By lying on tv daily about first a hoax, then that it was like 15 cases, then that some unapproved drugs would cure it, that there were tests available, and on and on? By eliminating and defunding the agencies that protect us from many things, but in this case pandemics? By firing ship captains that try to protect their sailors? By caring more about the “numbers” than sick Americans on cruise ships? By leveraging federal aid only to states whose governors are “nice” to him? By insulting reporters that accurately report his words and quote them back to him? By blaming impeachment as a distraction, during which he golfed weekly and held many rallies? By calling himself a genius and refusing the advice of experts? By claiming that he takes “no responsibility” for any of this? By using the pandemic as a distraction to repeal dozens of environmental regulations? By calling himself a “war time president” but not using those powers to coerce the manufacturing industry to switch to making needed medical supplies?
I could keep going, but I think my point is made. How much more is it gonna take before you realize this guy is just a simple con man? What did he ever do to deserve the warping of reality and moral gymnastics that continue to justify your support? Would you let anyone else get away with 1% of what this guy’s done?
I just…I love this country and I wish we’d stop working so hard against ourselves and FOR the betterment of everyone. But I’m pretty sure that it’s gonna take a leader that knows what it’s like to actually care about another person.
The dems called it a hoax. Chuck Todd from MSNBC was laughing about it when Trump enacted the travel ban from China.
I would protest by sending the stimulus check back. Just a small tip. Congress makes the decisions. The president has little power. I support the office.
Ironman knows!
How can u base a column on anything that giant bafoon says?
How dare someone think for themselves and not believe everything they see on Twitter and Facebook
Believing in Twitter and Facebook reports is a terrible idea… and yet is THOUSANDS of time better than believing one single thing tRump says.
Nothing says you’re cool like spelling it tRump. Wow just stunning and brave
It also says he’s dirty sweet and he’s my girl
Just be safe and practice social gong banging.
Nice!
Btw, what are those words referring to (hub cap diamond star halo)?
It’s lyrics from a T-Rex song, “Get it on (bang a gong)”. Youtube it if you don’t recognize the title.
Rct, did you read my first post about dirty sweet and he’s my girl? I know the lyric. I want to know what a hub cap diamond star halo means
I don’t really care about what he usually has to say but this is a nice surprise.
I don’t understand why anyone would take what Trump says about the NFL seriously. To start, he is incredibly thin-skinned and vindictive and has been trashing the NFL for a while now. Second, he’s been horrendous as a leader and absurdly slow to recognize COVID as a serious issue, downplaying it and calling it a hoax as recently as a few weeks ago. Third, he’s removed tons of medical and science experts from his administration and is relying on people like the CEO of MyPillow and world class buffoon Jared Kushner for advice.
At this point, you’d be better off believing the opposite of anything Trump says about this.
Well said rct,,,,,,and,,,8 republican states not ordering stay at home is Fking
I N S A N I T Y,,,,complete utter fking nonsense
Trump is letting the governors decide what they feel is best. Some states our basically isolated themselves and don’t need an order
Ahhhhh,,,,let’s wait for a spike in numbers and then put the order in. Then the chief bafoon will say it came out of nowhere,,LOL
If you’re gonna insult people’s intelligence you need to learn how to spell
Preach!
This pandemic is affecting the entire nation and it is going to be impossible to keep it under control if 50 states have 50 different ways of dealing with it.
The reality is that Trump is too gutless, pathetic, and weak to command and lead the nation to follow one method (isolation, stay at home). He’d rather pass the buck off to the state governors so he can say ‘it’s not my responsibility at all’ if things go poorly. But you can bet he’ll take credit for anything positive.
He’s in way over his head, and if you’re a Trump supporter, you’re a rube who has been conned. And for the record, I’m not a Democrat.
You should protest and send the check back. Lol yeah right
I couldn’t have said it better. I’m an Independent voter. How people can believe in this drug addict amazes me.
So basically it’s 18 months to find a vaccine that will protect the public from the virus and decades to find a vaccine that will protect the public from Trump’s stupidity.
and what on Earth would be your solution?
Sit in his parents basement and ride it out
Better than sitting and riding it out on Donald’s rod like a quarter of the country is currently doing.
I bet you have no problem taking the unemployment check if you are a non essential employee
Id bet the farm you dont send the check back.
I’m out of work now due to the virus, I have no reason to send the check back.
Wow one year the league is “ scumbags” and the next year he is pandering for votes.
hey guys, you know just because the article mentions the president doesn’t mean its an open invitation for partisan dogfighting.
Thank you Dark side. Whatever side we’re on, let’s just address how we move forward and like you say, what are the suggestions. Let’s stick to the whattodos
Taking anything the orange guy says seriously could be hazardous to your health.
He’s not even orange
Thing is the President can’t Just say league should start on time any more than he can just say country needs to open again very soon. You can’t just will these things to happen. You have to wait and see what develops. If there is a decent risk that opening stadiums in the fall will subject fans to spreading and catching a killer virus then the stadiums will need to stay closed for public health reasons. You can’t just will that not to be the case. This virus spreads easily and it kills people. Slowing it down some isn’t the same as eliminating it with a vaccine.