As the NFL moves ahead with the 2020 NFL Draft and momentum builds towards the regular-season schedule being released, the Canadian Football League announced on Monday that it is postponing the start of training camp due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CFL season, which was set to begin on May 24 with the first preseason game, was just months away with training camp scheduled to start on May 17 and rookie training camps opening even earlier. However, commissioner Randy Ambrosie decided to postpone training camp.
“As of today, the opening of CFL training camps will be postponed,” Ambrosie said, via statement. “The ongoing global pandemic and the resulting directives issued by various governments make it unsafe to proceed with plans to gather our athletes and coaches together as scheduled.”
The CFL will not provide a timetable for any future plans, citing the need to follow the protocols set by public health officials during the crisis.
The league, which uses an 18-game schedule, has played across 21 weeks for each of the past two seasons. The 2020 CFL regular season was set to kick off on June 11 and conclude on Oct. 31 with the playoffs beginning on Nov. 8 and the Grey Cup held on Nov. 22.
However, the decision to postpone training camp could now push the CFL’s schedule further back. The decision came not long after the league suspended its global draft until the start of training camp.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 6,000 people in Canada have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the United States has over 140,000 confirmed cases as of Monday morning.