With the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic escalating across the United States, it is becoming more apparent that the NFL and its teams will be looking at a different 2020 season than they originally anticipated.
The NFL was granted the luxury of time and preparation as their regular season is scheduled to begin in the fall, but so far has not come up with a plan to ensure player safety and health. It appears the league was hoping for the coronavirus crisis to improve by the summer time, but that has obviously not been the case.
With the situation only worsening, it is almost a foregone conclusion that teams will not be able to have fans in attendance and according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, it appears that Las Vegad Raiders owner Mark Davis will be staying at home as well:
“I won’t go if the fans can’t go, and the way it looks right now there won’t be any fans at our games,” Davis said Saturday afternoon.”
Davis added that the Raiders will not be having any partial, spaced-out seating at Allegiant Stadium:
“It’s all or none for me,” Davis said in an interview at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. “Either all the fans are going to be in there or none.”
“I can’t tell one fan that they can’t go to the inaugural opening game in a stadium that they helped to build through their PSLs,” Davis added. “I won’t tell them that they can’t go but the rest of these guys can … and oh, by the way, don’t worry about it because we’ll be able to advertise on your seats.”
For Davis and the rest of the Raiders organization, this is a massive disappointment as they were set to have an exciting debut in their new home. However, it is definitely in everyone’s best interest to stay at home given the contagious nature of the virus, especially during a period where cases have been growing steadily each and every day.
Some players have already expressed concern about the upcoming season, and those are well-founded given all of the uncertainty and lack of clarity from the league office. Players are expected to report soon, but how things will be handled remains to be seen.
The Raiders, much like the rest of the league, have to be waiting in anticipation of what steps and precautions will be taken in the coming weeks. Hopefully they get their answers sooner rather than later.
