"We plan announcing late next week the full
regular season schedule that begins with Kickoff on September 10
and culminates with the Super Bowl in Tampa February 7, 2021,"
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email to Reuters.
Each team is expected to play 16 regular season games as per
usual, though the league is evaluating contingency plans should
this prove untenable, multiple media outlets have reported.
It is yet to be announced whether fans will be allowed to attend
games.
While other major sporting leagues, including the National
Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB),
have shut down due to the coronavirus, the NFL has been able to
buy time before making any major decisions.
Its season ended in early February, shortly before evidence of a
major coronavirus outbreak in the United States became widely
known.
Some areas of the U.S. are now starting to emerge from lockdown
as rules are relaxed even as the number of confirmed coronavirus
cases rises in some states.
Last week's NFL draft attracted record U.S. television ratings
in a country starved of live sporting action.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by
Toby Davis)
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