2020 NFL draft to happen on schedule, events in Las Vegas cancelled

As expected, the long list of sports event changes due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has reached the 2020 NFL draft.

This year’s three-day extravaganza in Las Vegas is off, but the draft itself will still take place as scheduled:

The NFL plans to hold and televise the draft April 23-25 as scheduled, but public draft events in Las Vegas have been canceled, in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2020

The NFL will proceed with its Draft on Apr 23-25 but will canceled public events in Las Vegas. The league is exploring innovative ways for how the process will be conducted.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 16, 2020

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement Monday regarding the league’s plan for the three-day event:

“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 Raiders, 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.”

Much like so much of the current major sports landscape, this year’s draft will look much different than we’ve seen it in recent years.