AP sources: Virus may see leagues cutting locker-room access

MIAMI — Four major U.S. sports leagues are having discussions about whether to restrict access to locker rooms as a precaution to protect players from exposure to the coronavirus, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The NBA, NHL, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball — the leagues currently in season — are involved in the talks, and no collective decisions have been made, according to the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing.

The changes would not eliminate media interviews with players before and after games but would simply move them to a different location, possibly a news conference setting. The changes would be designed to limit locker-room access solely to players and essential team personnel, which in theory would allow teams to know if anyone in those areas has been tested for illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Canadian health officials also have been part of the talks with the leagues, offering guidance on certain matters.

MLS is expected to have some limits on access this weekend, but no NHL or NBA teams are working under a league mandate yet to change pregame or postgame procedures. The NFL has been involved on some level, though is not part of the current restricting-access plans since it is in the off-season.

On Friday, the NBA told its teams that it wants them to be prepared to play games without fans if necessary because of the coronavirus outbreak. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers quickly reacted by saying he won’t play basketball in an empty arena.

The league circulated a memo to its teams telling them to prepare in case it becomes necessary to play games without fans or media, as sports leagues in Europe have already done. The memo detailed potential actions that teams might need to take “if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present.”

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press