NFL: Team facilities can open next week
NFL teams, including the Texans, can reopen their training facilities Tuesday if they meet state and local regulations, commissioner Roger Goodell told team presidents and chief executives in a memo Friday afternoon.
Team facilities have been closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Texas, gyms have been closed since March 19 but will be allowed to reopen Monday with some restrictions.
Goodell’s decision is restricted to players rehabbing from injuries and doesn’t include coaches.
NFL teams are required to be in compliance with protocols established by chief medical officer Dr. Allan Sills. If anyone tests positive for the coronavirus, teams must report it imme
diately to Sills.
Teams that don’t meet requirements for reopening can do so as soon as they meet those criteria.
“Our goal is to reopen facilities safely and in a way that is consistent with medical and public health guidance, as reflected in the protocols; is permitted by current government regulations; and respects principles of competitive equity,” Goodell wrote in the memo.
He previously had set Friday as a deadline for teams to be ready to open.
Sills has scheduled a mandatory training program for team infection control officers Monday night.
NFL teams are limited to having no more than 50 percent of their staff at the facility, with a limit of 75 people. That doesn’t include coaches, but can include members of the personnel, football operations or football administration staff, equipment staff, medical staff and nutritionists. If the strength and conditioning coach is participating in player rehabilitation, he’s allowed to be there.
No healthy players are allowed at facilities, and retail or other customer-related activities such as ticket sales or concessions are prohibited.
“This first phase of reopening is an important step in demonstrating our ability to operate safety and effectively, even in the current environment,” Goodell wrote. “After we implement this first phase, and as more states and localities enact policies that allow more club facilities to reopen, I expect that additional staff, likely including coaching staff, will be allowed to return to club facilities in a relatively short time.
“In the meantime, we are continuing to work with the NFLPA and our medical teams on developing protocols that could permit a certain number of players to return to club facilities as early as next month. We will keep all clubs advised on developments in that respect.”
The Texans plan to hire a full-time facility hygiene coordinator in charge of protecting and providing sanitary conditions at the defending AFC South champions’ team headquarters, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
They are believed to be the first professional sports team to explore adding a position dedicated to fighting the spread of COVID-19.
The person will supervise the custodial staff, which is provided by Aramark. It will be an external hire, with the job to be posted soon.
NRG Stadium is owned by Harris County, so the hygiene coordinator would work with all team partners that utilize the multiuse facility.