Dolphins owner Stephen Ross: There will ‘definitely’ be an NFL season in 2020
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said Tuesday that “there definitely will be a football season” in 2020 — the strongest language yet used by a team owner that the NFL will return this fall.
Ross, appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” as owner of his real estate company the Related Group, didn’t have the same conviction about whether fans will be allowed to attend games.
The Dolphins are preparing for all possibilities, including permitting some 15,000 or so fans into a stadium that holds around 65,000.
“I think the NFL is looking at, and is very flexible, so that we will be able to start on time and bring that entertainment that’s so needed for all of us in this country,” Ross added. “One thing that we miss is our sports. ... I think the NFL will be ready to go.”
The NFL is planning to open its season on Sept. 10, even though coaches still are not even yet allowed into team headquarters due to coronavirus and teams have not practiced in months.
That could soon change, however. Yahoo! reported Tuesday that the league could permit coaches to return to work as soon as next week and that practices could resume as soon as June 15. The league later told Sports Illustrated that “we are not putting dates on a potential return.”
For now, the only NFL players allowed in team headquarters next week are those rehabilitating existing injuries. As of last week, the Dolphins had not returned to their Davie practice facility.
During the first phase of the NFL’s reopen, clubs may have no more than 50 percent of staff in facility (and no more than 75 people total) in all club locations (training facility and stadium).
Those who can return include personnel staff, football operations and football administration, equipment and medical staff. The NFL will maintain its prohibition on retail or any other customer-facing activities.
Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC Sports that it was too early to predict whether it will be safe for football to return in the fall, but the NFL is determined to return to the field.
And while states might be either unprepared or unwilling to let the their teams compete in the fall, Gov. Ron DeSantis has tried to make Florida a welcoming place for sports, even offering use of the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to any out-of-state team needing a place to play.
Ross spent most of his time on CNBC Tuesday talking about the economic devastation coronavirus has wrought, and the recovery ahead.
“It’s really most hard hit retail and your hotels, and those corporations that are looking forward to coming back to work and pay the rent,” Ross said. “People have gotten by working from home but people really want to get back to work. ... We all want to see life back to normal.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
