An unprecedented NFL Draft quickly approaches. Gone will be draft war rooms, green rooms, stages, and huge audiences complemented with on-site coverage and hugs between draftees and Roger Goodell. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the sports landscape and our lives — in some ways, maybe forever. Leagues are having to adapt and look at changes to future-proof themselves amid a different world.
For now, NFL coaches, executives, and staffs are working remotely with team facilities closed. For San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, and others around the league, it means running their drafts, an already complicated process, from their home offices, and communicating via phone or online.
The 49ers aren't taking any chances. The team went in and hardwired the homes of Shanahan and Lynch, team president Al Guido revealed during a KNBR interview on Thursday. After all, you wouldn't want their WiFi to drop at a critical moment, like a trade or handing in your virtual draft card.
Who knows what will happen in five months, when the NFL regular season would typically begin. While President Trump said over the weekend that he hopes to have the sporting world up and running by September, potentially in time for the NFL's season, California's governor, Gavin Newsom, is less optimistic.
One Santa Clara County official, executive officer Dr. Jeffrey Smith, even told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that they shouldn't expect sports to return to the region until around Thanksgiving in November, at the earliest. That would certainly be bad news for teams like the 49ers, San Jose Sharks, and local collegiate programs.
"What I would say here is there's a ton of debate on the appropriate time for the return of sports," Guido told Greg Papa and John Lund. "But not just for sports, but the return of any work, at this point. Our intent is let's exercise great patience. ... And we're going to make the most informed decision regarding our health and wellness."
Guido said that he had the NFL's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, virtually speak to the entire 49ers staff this week to educate everyone on what is being done at the league level and what he's seeing within his community as the virus continues to impact our nation.
"Our organization, we're going to continue to collaborate with government, state, and local health organizations, and also the league office, to see when we can return," Guido added. "And you're right, John, the next question is: When we return, what does that look like? Is it games with no fans? We just don't know. Frankly, that's what me and a lot of my peers are discussing.
"When we get back — because we will get back, and I'm optimistic. I think, frankly, that sports is needed, and it will be celebrated in this country at the right time. But when we get back, what's that going to look like for us? We really don't know."
September is still some time away, and unlike other sports that have seen their seasons disrupted, the NFL has time to think things through.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Guido below.