Throughout the last several months, the NFL has continued to operate on the path of getting the 2020 season going as planned despite concerns over the coronavirus. Things have taken another troubling turn with a second wave of the virus hitting hard while there still isn’t any clarity on many fronts regarding the illness. It has put many aspects up in the air for the 2020 season that has Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis putting forth an ultimatum for the upcoming campaign.

NFL hoping to get 2020 season going as planned

Things have taken a drastic shift over the last several months due to the coronavirus’s global spread.

The NFL is among the many industries in the country that are significantly impacted by the situation. Unlike many other major professional sports leagues, there remained quite some time before the regular season, unlike the NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL, as each had to suspend their campaigns initially.

Throughout the process, the NFL remains hopeful of getting the 2020 season started, but there are ongoing concerning issues. There are plenty of unknowns that have seen Mark Davis make a firm stance before the 2020 season.

Mark Davis lays out ultimatum to NFL

Beyond the plan of playing the 2020 season, there is much uncertainty around fans being able to attend regular-season games.

The NFL announced that the first eight rows in the stands will be tarped off, which has set the course to potentially more limitations and possibly much more. With that in mind, Raiders owner Mark Davis voiced that he won’t attend any games if the fans are not allowed to go, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

“I won’t go if the fans can’t go, and the way it looks right now there won’t be any fans at our games,” Davis said Saturday afternoon. 

Davis also stated that he wouldn’t have partial seating at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with an “all or nothing” approach to that situation. It’s a stance that he isn’t using to force the NFL’s hand to lean in one direction or other, but rather his personal choice.

He has been one of the most outspoken owners over the last few months, voicing the importance of health safety to best move through the situation. There are still many hurdles to get past first before the 2020 season underway, but it’s clear that Davis has drawn his line in the sand.

Will the NFL get the 2020 season going as planned?

The NFL continues to stay on the hopeful path of getting the 2020 season started as planned, but there are some obstacles ahead.

Many players such as JJ Watt, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Tyrann Mathieu, and Patrick Mahomes voiced their concerns with the lack of a coherent safety protocol from the league. That alone could put a halt to the NFL playing out the 2020 season as players are quite concerned about how things will be handled during this pandemic.

There is the pending negotiation of the players’ pay cut for the 2020 season due to the coronavirus’ impact. That includes the likelihood of no fans attending regular-season games that will have a significant financial impact.

It’s a complicated situation that the NFL doesn’t have a firm grasp on all the concerns and parameters ahead of the 2020 campaign that is critical in getting it started. The clock is ticking, and time will tell if the league will reach that goal.