NFL bans in-person visits with draft prospects

In an attempt to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the NFL is forbidding teams from setting up in-person meetings with draft-eligible prospects and prohibiting teams from sending club personnel, including coaches and scouts, to visit with draft prospects, the league announced Friday.

The new policy, which was formulated with the assistance of the NFL’s in-house medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, and medical experts from the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was laid out in a memo sent to all 32 teams. It will go into effect at the end of the business day Friday. podcast

The league did not say how long the new policy would remain in effect.

In addition, the Raiders announced Friday they are discontinuing all business-related travel for scouts, coaches and football staff members while also encouraging employees to work from home.

The NFL edict comes at a critical time in the NFL draft process. Teams usually blanket the country with coaches, scouts and executives who assess draft-eligible prospects. But after consulting with medical experts and the NFL, the Raiders and every other team in the league will be taking the necessary precautions.

In lieu of in-person visits, NFL teams clubs can conduct telephone or video conferences with prospects provided they are reported to the player personnel department upon completion, along with call participants, date, time and length of the call.

The league is also applying the following new restrictions on the use of phone or video conferences: Clubs can schedule no more than three telephone or video conferences with an individual draft-eligible player each week, and calls and conferences cannot exceed one hour.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.