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As it has for most aspects of daily life, the coronavirus pandemic has had a drastic impact on the world of sports. That now includes an altered way of doing business for one of the industry’s most prominent media outlets.
NFL Network, which is based in Culver City, California (near Los Angeles), has been forced to temporarily pull its live programming after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered the state’s 40 million residents to stay at home. Only those working jobs deemed essential were exempt.
“It is certainly a unique time at NFL Media, as it is for the rest of the industry and the world. At the forefront of every decision is our commitment to the health and safety of our employees and communities,” an NFL Network spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports in an email.
“In light of the latest updates and the directive from the Governor of California, we have now shifted our coverage to a digital first approach which we can do remotely. We will continue to take advantage of our experts and insiders in the field who are staying on top of all the news and can file video reports using home cameras.”
NFL Network carried live programming most of last week as free agency unfolded around the league. “Good Morning Football,” normally televised from New York City’s Times Square at 7 a.m. ET, was not seen. But “NFL Now” and “NFL Total Access,” the network’s version of “SportsCenter,” continued from Culver City with anchors working in the studio and analysts beamed in from remote locations.
However by Friday, even “Total Access” had gone off the air and is not on the program schedule this week. The network has been forced to rebroadcast compelling games from the 2019 season, classic Super Bowls and Emmy-nominated documentaries like “A Football Life.”
The NFL is also providing complimentary access to NFL Game Pass – re-watch “Hard Knocks,” NFL Films’ litany of features or classic games from the past – for fans looking for a football fix while stuck at home.
With the exception of players rehabbing at team facilities, members of NFL teams have largely been forced to work from home as well. The draft remains scheduled for April 23-25 but will no longer be staged in Las Vegas.
Organized team activities and spring camps have been postponed indefinitely, and it’s not currently known if training camps will open in late July. College pro days, crucial for injured players like Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, have also come off the calendar.
Saints coach Sean Payton revealed last week he was diagnosed with COVID-19, the first person in the NFL known to have contracted the virus.
It’s not yet clear when NFL Network’s live programming will return.
“I know that everyone at NFL Media takes pride in being able to continue to cover all the news from across the NFL and by doing so hopefully give our fans and viewers a bit of a break from what’s happening in the world,” said the spokesman.
“Like the rest of our colleagues across the NFL, we will continue to closely monitor developments and take action accordingly with the guidance of our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills, the medical experts at the World Health Organization, the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”