The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin the process of reopening their facilities on May 19, with a limited number of staff being permitted in their buildings, according to a team release Friday from public relations director Burt Lauten.
“We will begin the process of opening our facilities on Tuesday, May 19, with a limited number of staff being permitted in our buildings,” Lauten indicated in his new release. “Health and safety of our employees will continue to be our priority as we phase up to the fully-allowed staff level.”
The NFL released a memo on Friday announcing that teams could begin re-opening their facilities stating on May 19 if they are permitted to do so under state and local regulations and meet safety protocols previously outlined by the league.
While facilities can be reopened, players and coaches will not be allowed to enter the facilities during the first phase of the reopening to ensure equity among the 32 clubs, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to team executives on Friday.
“Clubs may otherwise decide which employees may return to the facility, which may include members of the personnel, football operations or football administration staff, equipment staff, medical staff and nutritionists,” the memo said.
According to the Friday memo, only team strength and conditioning coaches currently participating in player rehabilitation can return to the facility and only players currently undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation can report as well.
The Friday memo, which you can view below, also stated that all teams must promptly report any incidence of COVID-19 in the facility or any change in local government regulations to the league.
“This first phase of reopening is an important step in demonstrating our ability to operate safely and effectively, even in the current environment,” Goodell said in the memo. “After we implement this first phase, and as more states and localities enact policies that allow more club facilities to reopen, I expect additional staff, likely including coaching staff, will be allowed to return to the club facilities in a relatively short time.”
Goodell also indicated in his Friday memo that the league is working with the Players Association and its medical teams on developing protocols that could permit a certain number of players to return to club facilities as early as next month.
