The NFL’s last “normal” moment was the annual scouting combine, held from Feb. 23 to March 2 in Indianapolis.
Amid the routine of that week, league executives focused on finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement with players. Teams locked in on scouting college players and setting plans for the start of free agency. The global spread of COVID-19 had just started to seep into the national consciousness, but few had conceived a future in which the virus could impact a regular season that was six months away.
And yet here we are. The NFL is set to open Thursday night amid a set of coronavirus pandemic protocols that have transformed its operations at every level. You know about the major changes: a virtual offseason program, no preseason games and a softened training camp that centered on preventing soft-tissue injuries after months of football inactivity.
What follows are 15 of the smaller changes, from the slightly weird to the completely wacky, that you might never have imagined would be necessary to safely play football. All of these protocols are subject to change but will be in effect at least for Week 1.
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Teams are prohibited from having in-person player meetings with more than 15 people present, and everyone must be distanced at least 6 feet away from each other. Anything larger must take place virtually. No more than 15 people are allowed inside a weight room unless a special exception is approved. And trips to the athletic trainers must be made by individual appointments to keep numbers down.
Two charter planes encouraged
In most years, NFL teams charter one large plane for road games. In 2020, the NFL is encouraging them to charter two in order to maintain social distance requirements. At a minimum, every member of the traveling party must have at least one seat between them. To assist, the league is allowing only 70 non-players to join each traveling party. That count includes coaches, medical officials and all other essential staff.
Private planes on standby
When on the road, teams must hold at least three empty hotel rooms near the game site to be used for any member of the traveling party who reports COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive and needs to be isolated. The NFL has also retained a private air-charter service to transport those people home without coming into contact with the rest of the team.
Everton completed the signing of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid on Monday.
The Toffees paid £20 million for the Colombian playmaker, according to BBC Sport. He signed a two-year contract on Merseyside, with a club option for a third season.
James played under Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
“I’m looking forward to achieving great things here – and winning things, which is what everyone’s aim is,” James said. “I’ve come here to try to improve, to get better. I’ve also come here to help the team to win, to play good football – entertaining football.
“I’m convinced, with Carlo and his technical staff, we can achieve big things and one of the big reasons (I signed) was the presence of Carlo Ancelotti.”
The 29-year-old rose to prominence after scoring an outrageous volley for Colombia and winning the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup. He moved to Real Madrid later that summer and went on to win two La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues with Los Blancos. He also collected two Bundesliga crowns during an extended loan spell at Bayern Munich.
He was entering the final year of his contract at Real Madrid.
James will link up with Ancelotti’s ambitious, new-look squad at Everton. Allan was signed from Napoli on Saturday while Abdoulaye Doucoure will reportedly move from Watford for around £20 million.
