Yahoo Sports
MGM's Las Vegas resorts temporarily closing due to coronavirus, putting NFL draft in further doubt
Frank Schwab
Frank Schwab
Yahoo SportsMarch 16, 2020, 1:46 AM UTC
The NFL is going on with free agency as planned. The draft might be a different story.
There has been no announcement about the league plans for its draft, which was to be held in Las Vegas on April 23-25. But it seems impossible the league will go forward with the draft as planned, given the coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down most of the country.
The latest sign came Sunday, when MGM said it would be temporarily suspending operations at its resorts in Las Vegas and wouldn’t be taking incoming reservations until May 1. That’s a week after the scheduled NFL draft.
NFL draft hasn’t been changed yet
Two companies operate most of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip: Caesars and MGM. Yahoo and MGM have a sports betting partnership.
With so many rooms in Las Vegas off limits for the foreseeable future, it makes no sense for the draft to happen as scheduled. Along with the CDC’s recommendation against 50-person gatherings for at least eight weeks, there doesn’t seem to be any hope that the draft will go as scheduled. The NFL seems to understand that reality.
Speaking to a few #NFL team execs this weekend, it was clear that one pertinent reality was keeping the start of the league year and free agency on track: NFL expects it will take MONTHS to get to a better set of circumstances than now. A few weeks will not solve current hurdles.
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4:10 PM - Mar 15, 2020
http://www.yahoo.com/sports/mg-ms-las-vegas-resorts-temporarily-closing-due-to-coronavirus-putting-nfl-draft-in-further-doubt-014625818.html
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