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Preparing For Super Bowl LI

Source: Boston Globe / Getty

Despite the coronavirus pandemic putting a hold on most large gatherings, the NFL is sticking to their elaborate draft plans they scheduled months ago.

The 2020 NFL Draft player selection process will take place from April 23-25 and will be televised. It still hasn’t been made clear how the actual draft will be affected but the league said it will explore “innovative options for how the process will be conducted” in a newly released written statement from Commissioner Roger Goodell.

But while the draft may be business as usual, the events in Las Vegas surrounding the yearly event are rightfully being canceled out of fear of spreading the coronavirus.

“This decision reflects our foremost priority—the health and safety of all fans and citizens,” said Goodell. “While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raider, the city of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl.”

With the major events taking place in the home of the Raiders, they released a statement saying that while it was a tough decision, they know it was the right one to make.

“I would like to thank Governor Sisolak and the LVCVA for all of the passion they put into creating an event that would have been second to none. Although Las Vegas lost this chance to shine, there will be many more opportunities to show the world just what Las Vegas is made of,” Raiders CEO Mark Davis assured.

The NFL was planning to switch things up this year by hosting the draft on the Las Vegas strip, on the lake in front of the iconic Bellagio hotel and have players and personnel placed on boats going back and forth. Before the league hosted the draft in New York City from 1965 to 2014 until it moved around from Chicago, Philly, Dallas, and Nashville is the last few years.

2020 NFL Draft Still Going On As Planned But All Las Vegas Events Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic  was originally published on cassiuslife.com