Rams, Chargers not among NFL teams that will open facilities Tuesday
The NFL is allowing teams to open their facilities on a limited basis Tuesday, but the Rams and Chargers will remain closed, team officials said Monday.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo last week to NFL teams outlining the steps necessary to reopen facilities. They included following state and local guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, complying with “any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction,†and implementing NFL protocols. The memo stipulated that coaches and players — other than those players participating in rehabilitation — could not be among the employees allowed back on site.
The NFL was scheduled to conduct a virtual meeting with team infection control officers Monday evening.
NFL team facilities have been closed since late March because of the coronavirus outbreak. Since April, nearly all teams have been conducting four-days-a week virtual offseason programs that are scheduled to run through June 26.
Unlike most NFL teams, the Rams’ business and football operations offices have been in different locations since the team returned to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016. The Rams are planning to build permanent headquarters that will house business and football staffs together at a yet unidentified site.
The Rams business staff works from an Agoura Hills office building in Los Angeles County, which has yet to ease restrictions that would allow the Rams to reopen. The football facility is on Cal Lutheran University’s campus in Thousand Oaks in Ventura County, which has eased restrictions.
The NFL will allow teams to reopen their facilities as soon as Tuesday if certain conditions can be met during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But nearly all of the employees who work at the football facility are coaches and players, so the Rams will not reopen.
“We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for our players, coaches and staff,†the team said in a statement. “We will continue to abide by state and local government health guidelines and remain in step with NFL protocols to ensure our facilities meet all regulations. Once we have satisfied all of those requirements we will begin to consider the appropriate timeline for returning to work.â€
The Chargers’ business and football operations facility has been located in Costa Mesa since 2017, although the team has not designated it as a permanent site. The Chargers are in the process of moving ticketing and premium seating operations to Los Angeles, a team spokesman said.
On Tuesday, NFL owners will vote whether to give the Rams the chance to borrow $500 million more than previously approved for the construction of SoFi Stadium.
When the Chargers are able to re-open their facility, it will ease into the transition because the health and safety of the staff takes precedence over any other factors, the spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, during a virtual meeting, NFL owners are scheduled to vote on whether to allow the Rams to borrow $500 million more than previously approved for the construction of $5 billion SoFi Stadium, and whether to give owner Stan Kroenke increased time to pay back the loan.
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