CHICAGO _ As concerns about the coronavirus pandemic escalate and the impact on sports has become widespread, the Bears and the NFL are working through contingency plans on how to proceed with their business in the weeks ahead.
The league announced Thursday afternoon that it has cancelled this month's league meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla., with the usual business from that gathering _ including discussions and votes on playing rules and bylaws _ pushed back to the spring meeting in May.
The predraft process is also being altered with many teams around the league announcing they will be pulling scouts and coaches off the road and/or canceling visits with draft prospects to team facilities. On Thursday, the Vikings, Jets and Buccaneers were among the first to announce they were suspending travel for all of their coaches and scouts.
The Eagles, meanwhile, announced that beginning Friday they would be closing their facilities at the NovaCare Complex and Lincoln Financial Field until further notice with team staff instructed to work from home.
At this point, the NFL has no plans to alter the start of the new league year and the opening of free agency, which arrive Wednesday. The window for free-agency negotiation is scheduled to officially open Monday as originally planned.
The league office has yet to expand on its outlook and contingency plans for next month's draft in Las Vegas.
Mike McCartney, a Chicago-based agent for Priority Sports, tweeted on Thursday morning that he was advising his NFL draft clients against traveling for visits with teams.
With additional NFL announcements pending, many draft prospects are left with uncertainty about how they will continue auditioning for teams.
An Illinois State representative said the school was still planning to hold its Pro Day on Wednesday. But he noted that could change if NFL teams make the decision not to send their scouts. Michigan announced its Pro Day on Friday was canceled.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly released a statement on Twitter on Thursday morning saying he asked his players to not return to campus until further notice. The university already had suspended activities for teams not in their competitive seasons.
Notre Dame's Pro Day is scheduled for April 1, one of the later dates on the circuit.
The Bears have been in discussions Thursday at Halas Hall to sift through the precautionary measures they might take to alter their plans in the weeks ahead. The team has yet to issue word about how they will alter the predraft evaluation process or whether there have been discussions with the NFL offices about possible changes to the draft.
On Wednesday night, the NBA suspended its season indefinitely, and Major League Baseball, the NHL and MLS followed suit Thursday. The NCAA, meanwhile, canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments Thursday.
The World Health Organization this week declared the new coronavirus a pandemic because of its global impact. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention still asserts that the risk of the spread of the illness inside the country remains low.
The situation remains fluid.
