OK, National Football League.

You’re up.

Free agency is set to start Monday at noon, that so-called “legal tampering” period, when the tampering lasts about a minute and then it’s reported on twitter, etc. that said free agent player has agreed to a contract with said team. They just can’t sign on the dotted line until Wednesday.

NFL, the sports world needs you now. There’s nothing else. Locally, we were hit with the jolt Friday morning that the NHIAA was suspending its winter tournaments, impacting five local teams. The party line is the organization will “evaluate” the situation on Monday, but don’t you expect things to get much worse before they get better?

And also, no March Madness, which in a week will leave us simply mad.

No NHL or NBA for likely at least the next month, which come early April when the playoffs should be starting – the best time of the year – we’ll be ready to cry.

And no baseball, as spring training is halted and the start of the regular season delayed two weeks but you also have to figure it’ll be a lot longer. And egads, no Masters Tournament?

There’s a huge, huge abyss. Locally and nationally.

So tell us, NFL, whatcha gonna do?

Friday offered some hope, with teams tagging players, releasing some players, etc. In other words, something to talk about.

There had been talk of delaying free agency until the whole Collective Bargaining Agreement is voted on, but it seems that vote will be on time. Originally, we felt the players should vote nay – if only to get a a re-opener after a few years as 11 years is waaaaay too long. But, with this virus possibly causing economic havoc with owners pockets, the deal the players are voting on is probably the best they will get in terms of dollars.

You don’t want every day for the foreseeable future will be like the day after the MLB All-Star Game. Zip, zero, nada. Blank screen. No games. No trade talk. Even when sports leagues go on strike, there’s all sorts of debate and discussion about whose fault it is.

OK, let’s be honest. This Coronavirus thing is scary. But in a strange way, the debate and thinking about how it has impacted the sports world took New England Patriots fans’ minds off the never-ending Tom Brady saga. The Brady Watch was, to some extent, temporarily halted.

Now in many circles it’s back on again, stronger than ever. Why? Well, it’s all we have. This virus has robbed us of everything else. We’ve already had the Brady Watch hit ridiculous levels, we may as well take it to the finish line and debate the end result.

We wonder about the NFL draft in late April in Las Vegas. There were some 600,000 people descending on Nashville last year for the NFL’s annual cattle call. Today we frown on gatherings of more then 60, let alone 600,000 visitors meandering around a city.

But that’s further ahead. The start of free agency is one of the best times of the NFL year. It’s one big headline after another – a much healthier version of what we have been experiencing these last few days.

Of course, there’s complications for the NFL with this virus as well. Pro day workouts cancelled, no travel, teams having employees work from home, and problems about what to do with physicals, etc. for players who agree/sign deals.

But hopefully it will all get figured out.

C’mon, NFL, we need you now more than ever.

We need that one shining moment.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251,tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or@Telegraph _TomK.

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