The world, the nation, and now the NFL is reacting strongly to the threat of the spread of the coronavirus. The league has now halted all physicals indefinitely.
The president of the NFL Physicians Society, Dr. Anthony Casolaro, issued the following letter to the NFL and NFL Players Association. In sum, free-agent players and draft prospects will not be examined until the pandemic has passed.
“The Board of Directors of the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) have met by phone and communicated with members of Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) that the NFLPS has agreed to discontinue Combine rechecks, free agent physicals and physicals for non-Combine players until the health crisis has passed,” Casolaro wrote in the letter. “We believe It is not in the interest of the players nor team medical staff to continue to perform these physicals.”
“At a time of the most serious pandemic in our lifetime, we believe medical resources should focus on those who are ill or in need of care. We look forward to examining players when it is appropriate to do so.”
Just last week, the NFL had banned all physicals at club facilities, which have now shuttered their doors.
Clearly, the inability to examine players ahead of contract offers and this year’s NFL draft will have a major impact on teams around the league.
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