NFL to Hold Draft Virtually
The 2020 NFL Draft will be conducted in a “fully virtual format,” Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in a memo to teams on Monday.
The Draft will still take place as scheduled from April 23-25th, but NFL teams will have to conduct it “entirely outside of their team facilities” with “club personnel in separate locations.” Personnel will be permitted to communicate with each other throughout the process by phone or Internet.
Now official: NFL now has informed teams it will do a virtual draft this year. GMs and HCs now will be drafting from their homes. pic.twitter.com/t2mbdjWvVZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2020
The league says that the decision to make the draft entirely virtual comes as it attempts to “comply with government directives and to model safe and appropriate health practices.”
The choice to hold the draft in an entirely virtual format comes as the league tries to balance the competitive integrity of the process with ensuring the health and safety of all those involved.
Goodell also acknowledged that some teams may be more advanced than others in having the resources to conduct the Draft in this way, but that the league is “confident that all clubs can take the necessary steps” to make it a success.
The NFL is still planning to televise the 2020, just in a simpler, studio format.
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