As the NFL continues to closely monitor the coronavirus situation, the NBA has given the NFL something new to monitor.
Shams Charania of TheAthletic.com reports that the NBA has sent a memo to all franchises explaining that teams should be preparing to play games without fans in attendance, if necessary. The memo also asks teams to identify “essential staff” for those games.
This follows an earlier email in which the NBA suggested fist bumps instead of high fives with fans, and also recommended that players not touch pens, jerseys, etc. from fans for autographs.
The next NFL game won’t be played until August. However, the 2020 draft will happen in 48 days in Las Vegas. In three weeks, the league will convene its annual meetings in Florida. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT via email on Friday night that plans remain in place for the league meetings.