Davie-based facility set to reopen

The NFL has given teams permission to open their facilities Tuesday without coaches and players, and the Miami Dolphins have the green light to do so after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier in the week that Florida is open to professional sports teams that want to resume activity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a memo sent to the 32 teams Friday by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL’s leader stressed that the clubs must be “in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction and have implemented the protocols that were developed by [league medical officer] Dr. [Allen] Sills and distributed to all clubs on May 6.”

With Broward County beginning the process of loosening the county’s shutdown Monday the Dolphins’ Davie-based facility will be opened to a select number of staff members. However, coaches can’t participate in the reopening until every city with an NFL team reopens.

The Dolphins’ Davie facility and the league’s 31 other training sites have been closed since late March as part of the league’s response to COVID-19.

The Dolphins declined to comment when asked about the possible reopening of the team’s facility Tuesday.

Each team was required to submit a plan to the league for reopening its training/ practice facility this week.

A Goodell memo last week detailed protocols that will allow an initial reopening phase that includes a portion of the team’s employees returning to work. No more than 50% of the team’s employees (or up to 75 people) will be allowed in the building at one time.

These guidelines could be stricter depending on local and state guidelines.

No players would return to the facilities during this initial phase unless they were continuing rehab and treatment that was already taking place when facilities initially closed. Goodell also stated the players association is being consulted on steps that need to take place before players return to train in facilities and that those protocols are not yet fully developed.

NFL players have been participating in offsite training programs, which involves them working out on their own and participating in video conferences for team meetings and instruction sessions. Local training facilities are already working with players on an individual basis.

Those who return to the facilities must follow a number of measures, including wearing a mask and undergoing daily temperature screenings.

Last month, DeSantis had deemed sports “essential services,” allowing WWE and UFC events to take place in the state without fans. The UFC has already held a series of matches in the Jacksonville area.

The Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning versus Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady golf match will take place at Hobe Sound on May 24 without fans.

“All professional sports are welcome here for practicing and for playing,” DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday in Tallahassee. “What I would tell commissioners of leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won’t let them operate, we’ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida.”

Arizona is also open for all sports teams to continue training, and possibly compete in competitive events and games.