NFL reportedly still reviewing contingency plans for 2020 season

Well, it looks like the many reports stating the NFL doesn’t have a plan for the season in case teams are faced with outbreaks were accurate. That is if the latest report from Albert Breer of CBS Sports is true.

According to Breer, league officials have been discussing some possible directions to take if there needed to be any action taken in case an outbreak of COVID-19 hit teams.

As discussed on a league-wide conference call Friday that included team owners, team presidents, general managers, head coaches and high-ranking league executives, teams will be informed of any policy changes before Week 1.

Factors that could be weighed for postponing games or full weeks include:

► The unavailability of an entire position group due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

► Ten or more games in a given week cannot be played. This could prompt rescheduling the entire slate of games for a week.

► Six or more clubs cannot play for multiple weeks. This could potentially lead to the suspension of the season.

Breer — via his source — states that “several factors are under review for invoking the application of the league’s Emergencies and Unfair Acts policy.” Those factors being the ones mentioned previously.

More interesting is how the league is viewing this upcoming season. As Breer points out, Commissioner Roger Goodell continues to label the upcoming season as a “complete” one and not a “full” season. Also, the NFL’s competition committee is preparing for a shortened season and looking to change the formula of playoff eligibility for 2020 based on a certain number of games as well as basing playoff seeding on win percentages.

Sounds like the league still has a ways to go before they have a firm grasp on moving ahead with the regular season.