Report: Trump Tells Sports Commissioners NFL Should Start on Time

On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump told a group of major American sports commissioners that he believes the NFL should be able to start on time this September, according to a report.

Moreover, Trump also reportedly believes that fans will be able to attend the games.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports:

In conference call with major league sports commissioners on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he believes the NFL season should start on time in September, sources familiar with the call told @wojespn and me. More on call coming at https://t.co/rDZaVFhcDQ.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020

Donald Trump also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/EFqDryGlTQ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020

As Schefter writes:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told those on the call the leagues were the first to shut down and that the leagues would love to lead the way in starting the economy once there was an “all clear” from public health officials, sources familiar with the call told ESPN.

Trump also raised the idea of the leagues working together to lobby for tax credits that used to exists for fans, such as the ability to deduct concessions and tickets from taxes, sources said. That would be a way for leagues to jumpstart fans ability to return to stadium in a difficult economy.

The call included 12 major sports commissioners and top executives, including the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, Major League Soccer, WNBA, WWE Wrestling, the PGA Tour, UFC, IndyCar, LPGA, and Breeders Cup, according to a White House pool report.

The report, if accurate, bodes well not just for the sports world but for the country as a whole. With aggressive mitigation efforts ongoing across the country and slated to continue, in some cases, past the beginning of June. The idea of being able to congregate 75,000 people in a stadium in August or September, leads one to believe that other sectors of American life could return to normalcy around that same time, if not earlier.

Though, regardless of whether fans are in attendance, it’s still incredibly positive to hear the president talking about the nation’s favorite sport starting on time.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn