NFL Training Camps Will Open On Time After League, Union Agree On COVID-19 Plans
BOSTON (CBS) -- On Thursday, negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA got a little bit ugly. By Friday, though, everything was smoothed over, paving the way for football to begin.
The players' union approved the proposed adjustments to the CBA based on the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. The vote by player representatives was 29-3, according to NFL.com. As a result, training camps will be opening as scheduled next week.
"The NFL clubs and the NFL Players Association approved an agreement that broadly resolves all outstanding issues relating to the opening of training camps and start of the 2020 season," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Training camps will begin as scheduled. We have worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive set of protocols designed to minimize risk for fans, players, and club and league personnel. These plans have been guided by the medical directors of the NFL and the NFLPA and have been reviewed and endorsed by independent medical and public health experts, including the CDC, and many state and local public health officials. The season will undoubtedly present new and additional challenges, but we are committed to playing a safe and complete 2020 season, culminating with the Super Bowl."
The agreement officially put an end to the 2020 preseason, meaning there will be no football games until the regular season begins in September.
The economics of the agreement were the biggest sticking point, but the sides agreed to spread out the impact of the lost revenue in 2020 over four seasons, beginning in 2021. Teams will also be carrying rosters of 80 players in training camp, instead of the usual 90.