Hometown Broadcasting Sports Wednesday 5/27/20
27 May 2020 Sports
A growing number of NFL franchises have begun reopening their facilities, following seven that did so on May 19 when it was initially allowed, with them all following the criteria laid out in a May 15 memo via Commissioner Roger Goodell.
On Tuesday, the Broncos, Jaguars, Packers and Ravens became the latest teams to reopen facilities. Clubs can reopen their facilities as long as they do so under the “governing state and local regulations, are in compliance with additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction, and have implemented the protocols” designated by the NFL for the safety of all employees.
On May 19, the Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Falcons, Steelers and Texans began the reopening process and were followed a day after by the Bengals.
Coaches and players are still not permitted to return, per NFL rules. No more than 75 employees or contractors are permitted in the building.
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The Packers are on the board with signing their draft picks, and their final pick is the first to sign. The team announced on Tuesday that outside linebacker Jonathan Garvin from the University of Miami, selected 242nd overall. The edge rusher was the 2nd of the Packers two, 7th round selections, and the final pick in a draft class of 9 players. An early entry for the draft, Garvin played 3 seasons for the Hurricanes, the last two as a starter when he recorded 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss. He won’t turn 21 until July 28th.
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With state governments eyeing an entry point for NFL franchises to resume offseason activities, sources tell Yahoo Sports that head coaches could return to team facilities as early as next week — with players potentially following in full-squad minicamps in mid to late June. The sources told Yahoo Sports that if coaches resume their in-house work next week, minicamps including players could be scheduled as early as June 15 or as late as June 27, depending on COVID-19 data and whether a handful of franchises get a “go ahead” signal from state governments to resume full operations.
Resuming full operations and getting a minicamp scheduled would represent the league’s biggest step to date toward keeping the 2020 NFL season on track for a regularly scheduled fall kickoff.
One league source told Yahoo Sports that a declaration from California Gov. Gavin Newsom will serve as the key hurdle in whether the NFL can pull off a fully operational minicamp in June. If Newsom opens the way for full team operations (without any fan attendance), the league could then give NFL franchises the option of holding a minicamp sometime in June, before breaking once again and setting dates for the opening of training camps.
“If California is open for [team] operations soon, minicamps can still happen in June — probably late June, I’d think — but maybe even mid-June,” the league source said. A second source added that June 15 and June 27 are the dates that have been identified as potential full-squad minicamp windows. It’s not known if a June 27 minicamp, which would be roughly two weeks later than normal for a final offseason minicamp, would ultimately push back the start of training camp in July. Any resumption of activities involving players would likely also have to come with a sign-off from the NFL Players Association, which has remained in constant communication with the league to weigh in on the structure of offseason activities.
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Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross might just be using some power of positive thinking, but his comments about this season seem to reflect the optimism of the NFL as a whole. In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Ross left no doubt that he believes the NFL will play its season despite the coronavirus outbreak. His only doubt has to do with fans in stadiums. It’s more complicated than just wishing it into being. The NFL will have to formulate a plan for testing and safety. The players will have to feel comfortable with it. But Ross seems pretty confident. Ross doesn’t seem worried about the NFL having to change its plans for a season, even if he isn’t entirely sure there will be fans there. He did say, however, the NFL is planning to have fans in stadiums.
“I think there definitely will be a football season this year,” Ross said, via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com. “Real question is, will there be fans in the stadium? Right now — today — we’re planning to have fans in the stadium.”
Saying there will be a season doesn’t ensure there will be one. Even if Ross uses the word “definitely.” But it’s a sign of the NFL’s mentality about the situation.
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As schools across the country make plans to play football amid the coronavirus pandemic, limiting attendance at games is one of the most widely-considered ways to keep football as safe as possible. And Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins wrote in a New York Times editorial on Tuesday that he doesn’t see any way that Notre Dame Stadium will be able to host as many fans as it typically can during the upcoming season.
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XFL owner Vince McMahon said Tuesday that he will not attempt to buy back the league in bankruptcy court. In a court filing, McMahon called accusations that he was secretly maneuvering to use Chapter 11 as an avenue to cheaply retain the XFL “inflammatory” and “unsubstantiated.”
The XFL filed for bankruptcy on April 13 in Delaware district court, three days after laying off nearly its entire staff, citing the unforeseen impact of the coronavirus epidemic.
McMahon then put the league up for sale, but the court’s committee of unsecured creditors claimed last week that McMahon had set up a “fire sale” bidding process that would rig the process in a way that would allow him to buy back the XFL without repaying its debts.
In a deposition footnoted in Tuesday’s filing, McMahon admitted that he had reserved his legal right to be a bidder in the original bankruptcy claim. He said he did that because “I think I was trying to make up my mind.” The committee’s filing last week pushed him to decide against a bid, he said.
In the filing, McMahon’s attorneys wrote that McMahon put in “at least” $200 million of his own money into the XFL. “Accordingly, all that the committee has managed to do,” the attorneys wrote, “… is to chase away a potentially significant bidder for the debtor’s assets.”
The XFL has hired the Houlihan Lokey brokerage firm to handle the sale. According to the original schedule it established, letters of intent are due June 12. Final bids are due July 6, subject to approval by the bankruptcy court, in hopes of putting potential new owners in position to get the XFL back on the field in the spring of 2021 if desired.
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