The National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that it has cancelled the remainder of the 2020 regular season due to COVID-19 concerns. NLL officials are looking at any number of scenarios to return to play when all stakeholders and health officials deem that possible. There is no timeline on when decisions will be made.
The NLL initially suspended its regular season play on March 12 with the intention of resuming play at a later date. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic still severely impacting North America, the NLL decided it was in the best interest to cancel the remainder of the regular season.
UPDATE: National Lacrosse League announces cancellation of remaining regular reason games. pic.twitter.com/d1Cu47Ucwu
— NLL (@NLL) April 8, 2020
“With three weekends left in the regular season and the uncertainty about resumption during that time, we decided it is in the best interests of our players, coaches, staff, partners and fans to remove any uncertainty. Our goal is to find the best, and safest, solution for resumption of play, but what that looks like, and when that occurs, cannot be determined today,” said NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “Our primary focus is the long term health of all involved in the sport of lacrosse from a personal and a business standpoint, and we are consulting with our board, medical and municipal authorities, as well as leadership in other organizations across sports and entertainment, to determine when we will be able to effectively move forward. Whenever that is, we have plans in place that continue to evolve, and we will be ready to restart the process correctly and effectively.”
“We continue to be in regular contact with the NLL and support their recent decision to halt the regular season, while continuing to figure out what a next step looks like,” said Peter Schmitz, PLPA President. “Our primary focus remains the health and safety of our members and their input will be the deciding factor. We recognize the challenges that are presented with the unpredictability of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and will consider all options as presented by Nick and the NLL Leadership. We remain positive and optimistic for a return to the floor in the appropriate timeframe.”
The NLL stated that these options will be outlined in more detail as the situation becomes clearer across North America in the coming weeks.
“It’s a tough decision, but best for all of our people. [We are] thankful for the support of our board, teams, partners, staff and PLPA,” Sakiewicz stated. “[We are] looking at potential postseason formats should the ‘all clear’ come, while we keep our focus on a healthy future for our sport.”
