Saints GM Mickey Loomis Wants To Delay NFL Draft

New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis wants to delay the 2020 NFL Draft amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 NFL Draft was supposed to take place in Las Vegas, but two weeks ago this was scrapped. The Draft will now not be open to the public. As a result, teams will have to conduct business away from their facilities and with limited staff.

As well as that, team facilities are closed and offseason programs are canceled. Due to this, team officials are concerned that the Draft on April 23 – 25 will be too soon.

“I’d be personally in favor of delaying the draft, so that we can get some of the work done that our scouts and our personnel people ordinarily do,” Mickey Loomis said on Wednesday.

“And then just the logistics of trying to conduct the draft, with not having access to your draft rooms and your offices, creates a lot of logistic problems.”

Want $250 to bet on NFL futures?

Mickey Loomis made his comments just in time as the following day, commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams. The Draft will go ahead despite the concerns, and the commissioner wants the league to be united on the issue.

“Public discussion of issues relating to the Draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action,” said Goodell.

He said the NFL Management Council Executive Committee was “unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft should go forward as scheduled.”

Read: Dolphins Set For Massive Haul in 2020 NFL Draft

“Everyone recognizes that the public health conditions are highly uncertain and there is no assurance that we can select a different date and be confident that conditions will be significantly more favorable than they are today,” Goodell said.

“I also believe that the Draft can serve a very positive purpose for our clubs, our fans and the country at large, and many of you have agreed.”