[May 13, 2020]The
NFL and team executives agreed on a proposal to raise the debt limits
for each club by $150 million in response to the coronavirus crisis,
ESPN reported Tuesday.
The NFL logo is pictured on a football at an event in the Manhattan
borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 30, 2017.
REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/
Sources said and agreement was reached in a
conference call Monday to hike the debt limit from $350 million
to $500 million for the 2020 season. Owners are expected to vote
on the proposal on May 19.
Teams are expected to lose tens of millions of dollars in
revenue this season if games are played inside empty stadiums
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An analysis conducted for ESPN estimated the NFL would lose
about $130 million in revenue from tickets and game-day spending
by fans for each week played without spectators.
The NFL has raised the debt limit in the past, but usually to
help teams that are building new stadiums.
The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are
scheduled to open the season against the visiting Houston Texans
on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.