Titans Recall Scouts Amid Coronavirus Concerns
The Tennessee Titans and the rest of the NFL are not immune to the effects of COVID-19, which has caused numerous changes and cancellations throughout the sports world in recent days.
A little more than a month out from the 2020 NFL Draft, the Titans have pulled their scouts from the road for an undetermined period.
Franchise officials did not comment on the move, but a spokesperson said they continue to monitor the situation. Players are not scheduled to return to the facility for another five weeks and no decision has been made regarding any possible adjustments to that schedule.
Also Thursday, the NFL announced that its annual meeting, scheduled for March 29-April 1 at Palm Beach, Fla., has been canceled. The plan is to address issues on the agenda for the meeting at the spring meeting in May.
The World Health Organization this week declared COVID-19, more commonly known as coronavirus, a pandemic, which means it is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time. As of Thursday afternoon, more than three dozen people in the United States have died from the illness.
Titans scouts are in the process of preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft, which is set for April 23-25 at Las Vegas. This month is a busy time with multiple colleges conducting their pro days almost daily. Thursday, for example, Clemson, Nebraska, Oregon Princeton, Southern Illinois and Tulsa all were scheduled to have their prospects perform for scouts. Friday’s pro day schedule included Michigan.
Tennessee is scheduled to make six selections in this year’s draft, beginning with the No. 29 overall choice.
The Southeast Conference started its men’s basketball tournament Wednesday in downtown Nashville, but conference officials canceled the remainder of the event Thursday. The National Basketball Association suspended its season Wednesday, The National Hockey League and Major League Soccer followed suit Thursday. Major League Baseball canceled the remainder of spring training and postponed the start of the regular season.
