NFL bans visits with draft-eligible players

The NFL has banned all in-person visits involving draft-eligible players until further notice, the league informed teams Friday afternoon.

In a memo sent to all general managers, head coaches and player personnel directors, and obtained by The Times, the league outlined new rules temporarily put in place because of the coronavirus. The following is prohibited:

Any draft-eligible player traveling to a club facility or other location to meet with club personnel.

Club personnel traveling to any location, including a college campus, to visit with a draft-eligible player.

Clubs are still allowed to conduct interviews via telephone or video conferences through the day prior to the draft. Any telephone or video conference must be reported to the player personnel department upon completion, along with the call participants, date and time of the call, and total length of the call.

These rules apply to those calls:

Clubs can schedule no more than three telephone or video conferences with an individual draft-eligible player per week (Sunday through Saturday).

Each telephone or video conference can last no longer than one hour.

Such telephone or video conference cannot be conducted at a time that interferes with the player’s school schedule.

The NFL plans to work with its competition committee and general managers advisory committee to discuss ways to collect and disseminate medical information of draft-eligible players.

Any club personnel who violate the restrictions will be subject to league discipline.

“We have not taken this step lightly,” the league said in its memo, “but believe that it is most consistent with protecting the health of our club personnel, draft eligible players, and the public. It also has the ancillary benefit of ensuring competitive equity.”