The NFL will allow clubs to reopen their facilities this coming Tuesday, but state regulations deny the New York Giants from doing so.
On Friday, the NFL along with commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo to all 32 teams announcing a big step towards an existent 2020 campaign.
The league is allowing teams to reopen facilities on May 19 “if they are permitted to do so under governing state and local regulations, are in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction, and have implemented the protocols that were developed by [NFL chief medical officer] Dr. [Allen] Sills and distributed to all clubs on May 6.” Clubs are only permitted to have up to 50% of staff in the building (75 individuals maximum) and, here’s the kicker, no coaches or players will be allowed, unless a player is “currently undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation.”
Yes, it’s indeed big news in regards to the upcoming season, but for the New York Giants, things won’t be changing just yet.
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Giants senior vice president of communications Pat Hanlon made it clear the organization will not be reopening its facility on Tuesday.
“It takes more time than four days to reopen a facility that has been shut down for two months,” Hanlon said. “We are subject to state regulations. Bottom line, when we are cleared on all fronts to go back, we will, in an orderly, systematic, safe way to protect those in our building. It has been a process and protocol we have been developing for the last month or two.”
Per Judy Battista of NFL.com, around 22 teams would be permitted to open their facilities under the local rules that are currently in place.
The NFL closed all team facilities in March amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Clubs have undergone a virtual draft and offseason period since.
