NFL officials have been training to work as five-person crews in the event that their normal seven-person crews are compromised by COVID-19, but they won’t get any on-field work on that or any other front this summer.
Officials usually visit training camps around the league for multiple days to work on their communication on the field as well as speak to teams about rules changes for the coming season. NFL Referees Association president Scott Green told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that those visits will not happen this summer as the league works to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
With the preseason scrapped, that means the first time on the field this year will come in Week One. Seifert notes that the league hopes to have virtual presentations with teams to take the place of the visits.
The NFLRA is also talking to the league about opt-out policies for officials, travel plans and medical coverage as they look toward the start of the regular season.