National Football League

Football not immune to coronavirus

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 6:12 p.m. ET

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While college football and the NFL might not yet be in season, the sport is still feeling the impact of the coronavirus — and that's especially true for the XFL.

College Football

Colleges across the nation have started canceling practice, spring games and recruiting.

Kent State was the first FBS team to suspend spring practice. Head coach Sean Lewis determined that practice will be canceled until at least April 13, when regular campus activities resume.

Virginia, Penn State, Baylor, Notre Dame and USC followed shortly after.

Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati have canceled spring games.

Precautions are also being put into place regarding recruiting.

There are conference-wide mandates against recruiting visits and travel for the ACC, Big Ten and SEC.

Notre Dame, Michigan and UNLV are also adding restrictions, while Ohio State is suspending all off-campus recruiting this spring, and campus recruiting visits through April 20.

Pro days for college athletes trying to showcase their skills to NFL scouts, executives and coaches have also been postponed.

Michigan, Penn State, Alabama and Rutgers have all announced their Pro Days will be rescheduled.

Pro Football

At the same time, NFL teams were pulling scouts from the recruiting trail.

The Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins have suspended all travel plans, while the Cleveland Browns are reducing the number of coaches and scouts on the road.

Teams are also urging staff to work from home.

The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are all closing down their facilities for the foreseeable future.

The Atlanta Falcons will reopen on Monday, March 16 after a deep cleaning.

But the only official change to the NFL's schedule is canceling the league meeting.

Otherwise the offseason calendar has not seen any significant shifts thus far.

Discussions are ongoing about the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft and if any changes will be made.

However, the XFL, which is in season, has canceled the remainder of the schedule.

They were five weeks in to the inaugural season.

XFL athletes and broadcasters took to social media to express their sentiments following the abrupt end to their season.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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