Skip to content

NFL raises over $100M for COVID-19 relief during draft

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

Upon the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league raised over $100 million for COVID-19 relief efforts.

"With this draft, we set out to celebrate football and to provide an escape," said Goodell. "We are proud to have shared this experience with a record number of our fans. Thank you for your incredible passion and commitment.

"Finally, we wanted to make a difference by honoring and supporting those impacted by this pandemic, especially those on the front lines."

Alongside the draft, the league held a Draft-A-Thon, a three-day virtual fundraiser in support of efforts to combat the coronavirus crisis.

The NFL was forced to cancel all public events in Las Vegas due to the pandemic, and some believed the draft should have been delayed.

However, the league pushed forward with the first-ever virtual draft, and it raised an extraordinary amount of money to fight COVID-19 as a result.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox