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NFL approves restricted versatile scheduling for Thursday evening video games

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Thursday nights in the NFL have long been the most defining feature of its dedicated-to-television programming, a prime-time slot that raised concerns about player safety and spawned numerous competitions before moving to a streaming-only platform.

Now the league will have the power, albeit limited, to change the encounters.

NFL owners Monday approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video, just for weeks 13-17 and with at least 28 days’ notice for affected teams. The league could move a Thursday night game in that area to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game, a mechanism that currently applies to Sunday night and Monday night games.

No team would need to play more than twice on Thursday night in a season. The rule only applies to 2023 for now. Any week 13-17 game could be selected for rescheduling to Thursday night, but the league said the bar for such a reshuffle is high.

“We’re incredibly prudent and incredibly sensitive when it comes to changing a game and the dynamics around it,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL Media’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We’re also trying to balance how we give our fans the best games in the best windows.”

In addition to the flexible games prime time allotments, the NFL is also now making the entire week 18 schedule available through the week to show two playoff-related games on Saturday.

New York Giants owner John Mara criticized the proposal for its negative impact on fans and said after the vote he was disappointed but not surprised.

Also on Monday at the NFL’s spring meetings, a rule was passed that allows teams to use an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game. This decision stems from San Francisco’s Depth Chart Challenge in the NFC Championship game.

The bylaws were originally proposed by the Detroit Lions. The third quarterback designation does not count against the active player limit (either 47 or 48) set 90 minutes before kickoff.

Emergency Activation can only occur following an injury or disqualification, not as a result of a performance decision or other conduct. If one of the first two quarterbacks is cleared to return to the game by the team’s medical staff, the third must be removed from the game and may return as a quarterback only if an injury scenario recurs.

If a team puts three quarterbacks on the active list for a game, they cannot use the contingency option. An increase in the training squad on the day of the match is also not permitted.

49ers running back Christian McCaffery had his arm warmed up at the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia after Brock Purdy injured his elbow and Josh Johnson suffered a concussion. Purdy was pushed back into the game but couldn’t throw the ball more than 10 yards because the 49ers abandoned their game plan for a run-heavy attack in the 31-7 loss to the Eagles on Jan. 29.

The 49ers had already lost their two best quarterbacks — Trey Lance in Week 2 and Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 — to season-ending injuries.

This week’s agenda included diversity initiatives in coaching and sports medicine, as well as awarding two major events for the 2025 season. The Green Bay Packers received the NFL Draft and the San Francisco 49ers received Super Bowl 60.

The owners were also informed of the upcoming sale of the Washington Commanders by Dan Snyder’s family to Josh Harris’ group, an important if not urgent issue. There will be no vote on the record $6.05 billion transaction this week.

Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts and a member of the league’s finance committee, expressed cautious optimism about the closing of the deal.

“There are certain criteria that have to be met, and that’s the way it is. It’s not there yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get there. It’s complicated. Say it like this. I could explain it to you, but it wouldn’t tell you anything,” Irsay said.

Neither Snyder nor his wife, Tanya, came to Minnesota for the meeting. The league wants to approve the deal before the start of the regular season, Irsay said. Irsay stated that the amount of money at stake and the number of investors involved in Harris’ group – which includes Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson – have extended the approval process.

“We work hard. Everyone wants to make it and needs to make sure it’s within league guidelines. It’s a complicated deal so we’re trying to just work through it and we’re confident we can pull it off. It will likely be several more weeks of discussion before we see if we can reach the finish line,” Irsay said.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he is not concerned about the viability of the bid from Harris, who owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils with partner David Blitzer, as long as it is properly structured.

“What it will be,” Jones said. “It’s too important for them to have the right structure because they will benefit from the way it’s been structured for everyone else in the past.”

There is no timetable for voting.

“These are superbly qualified owners,” Jones said. “That always decides the clarification with the NFL.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed, or redistributed without permission.

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