NFL owners meeting for mid-May switched to video conferences

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has switched its mid-May owners meeting to remote video conferencing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting was scheduled for Marina del Rey, California, on May 19-20. The league previously canceled its annual meeting in March in Florida, where owners would have voted on potential rules changes.

Those votes were expected to occur at the California meeting and likely will be conducted during the virtual meeting instead. Among the rules to be discussed is allowing pass interference to be part of the video review system. That rule was adopted for one year and has gotten poor reviews from coaches and players.

The league said in a statement that based on the latest information, it believes the shift to a virtual meeting is in “everyone’s best interests.”

The NFL continues to plan for a preseason and regular season as scheduled; the regular-season schedule is expected to be released in the next 10 days. But Troy Vincent, who oversees league football operations, told The Associated Press on Thursday that all sorts of contingencies are being considered. That could include a delayed start to the season, which is set for Sept. 10; games in empty stadiums; and a Super Bowl later than its Feb. 7 date.