NFL draft will proceed as scheduled, but public Vegas events canceled

The 2020 NFL Draft will be held and televised April 23-25 as planned, but public draft events in Las Vegas have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced Monday.

The NFL said it's exploring innovative avenues for how to present the draft, and the league will release more information when it's available.

"This decision reflects our foremost priority - the health and safety of all fans and citizens," commissioner Goodell in a statement. "While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the city of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl."

The Raiders also released a statement, saying that "although Las Vegas lost this chance to shine, there will be many more opportunities to show the world just what Las Vegas is made of."

Las Vegas was set to host a unique event ahead of the Raiders' first season playing in the city.

The red carpet and the red carpet stage were to be located on the water in front of the Bellagio's fountains, while the main stage would have been next to Caesars Forum and Linq High Roller.

A boat was going to transport players attending the 2020 draft to the red-carpet stage.

The Cincinnati Bengals hold the No. 1 pick, and they're widely expected to take Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow.

Copyright (C) 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.