Professional sports leagues suspend seasons due to coronavirus outbreak
Fox News contributor Jim Gray discusses the spring season without sports on ‘America’s News HQ.’
The coronavirus pandemic postponed the NBA and NHL’s 2019-20 seasons and pushed back the start of the 2020 MLB season, but the NFL will open the new league year on time to start free agency.
The NFL sent a memo to teams Sunday, stating the league’s legal tampering window will start at noon EST on Monday and the free-agency period will begin at 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday, ESPN reported.
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The NFL reportedly wanted to push the date back but the NFL Players’ Association did not give approval because working on deals doesn’t require travel or face-to-face meetings. A source told ESPN there were concerns about how long the delay could last because of the uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak.
The league was also set to hold its annual meeting in Florida from March 29 to April 1, but it was pushed back because of the virus.
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“There will be full consideration and votes on any open football issues, including playing rules, bylaws, and resolutions, as well as other business matters that were on the agenda for the Annual Meeting, at the Spring meeting scheduled for May 19-20. Most of the first day will be dedicated to football-related issues. Head coaches and general managers will participate in the meeting,” the NFL said in a statement last week.
“This decision was made consistent with the league's primary concern to protect the health of club and league employees and the public while enabling the league to continue with its essential business operations. “
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Tom Brady, Derrick Henry and Teddy Bridgewater are among the top names to be hitting the free-agent market this week should they not be able to come to an agreement with their current teams.