The good news is, there could very well still be NFL football in 2020. The bad news is, it’s likely that none of us will be able to go watch it.
That’s the message being delivered by Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, in a recent interview with Peter King.
“I could easily see camps being shorter, players being tested on a daily basis, things of that nature,” Blank said. “No fan attendance. Things like that.
Blank believes that preseason play could be limited, but is cautiously optimistic about getting a 16-game regular season in.
“If I had to speculate now, and I use the word speculate because that’s really all it is, I would say yes [to 16 games],” Blank said. “Only because it’s so far away from where we are today.”
Blank thinks that the NFL continuing to play, is important to the national psyche while the country battles the coronavirus.
“I do think we need football now,” Blank said. “It’s hard to turn on any device you have today, almost any site, television, PCs, laptops, phones — without the first thing popping up being something on the virus.
“And, that’s appropriate. However, I also think that people want a diversion. People want to be optimistic. People want to think about things that are really good times for themselves and their families and their loved ones and their communities. I think to have that kind of hope and aspiration mixed into your daily life is important.”The league plans to continue with the NFL Draft scheduled for later this month, but has opted to hold the event in a studio with no audience, as opposed to holding it in an arena.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn