The Baltimore Ravens intend to compensate stadium workers if NFL games are played before a limited numbers of fans -- or no one at all -- due to social distancing requirements during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ravens president Dick Cass says the team is working on a program to provide for the estimated 3,300 people employed a typical game day.
"If we don't have that kind of staff because we have a reduced crowd at the stadium, we are planning on creating an employees' assistance fund," Cass said, noting that "we have not terminated or laid off or furloughed anybody and we don't intend to."
Instead of watching from the sideline at a minicamp practice, Cass was in his home Thursday morning, speaking in a teleconference arranged by The United Way. He noted that in a normal year on this date, there would be 90 players having breakfast at the team headquarters.
Cass said the team still plans to open training camp and start the season on time, but it "may have to make adjustments."