It’s obvious that offseason programs won’t begin on time. It’s increasingly obvious they won’t happen at all.
And it’s fair to start wondering whether training camps will open on time, and perhaps whether they’ll happen at all.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it’s “too early to tell” whether training camp will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I hope not, but obviously we have to prepare for all scenarios at this point,” Rooney added.
For now, the only thing known is that everything is unknown.
“We’ve been told to prepare for the draft as scheduled for the dates it’s scheduled for, and that’s what we have to prepare for,” Rooney said. “With everything going on, there’s uncertainty with everything in the world. But we have to prepare for the dates currently scheduled and that’s what we’re doing.”
Flexibility at a time of constant change becomes critical, and the organizations that can adapt to ever-changing rules will be in the best position to thrive. It will require creativity, and in some cases teams will try to dance on the wrong side of the line in order to gain an advantage.
Here’s hoping that the rules are clear, that the rules are respected, and that if the rules are broken, they will be aggressively enforced.