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The coronavirus pandemic has caused much of the nation to find alternate ways to do their jobs. That includes Markus Bailey.
The former Purdue linebacker is busy preparing for the NFL draft. But he is unable to take pre-draft visits to NFL teams or be part of Purdue's pro day--which was slated for this Thursday--because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
"I mean, COVID-19 is affecting everybody, and everyone's job, everyone’s way of life right now," said Bailey. "And in terms of the draft process, pro days are cancelled, visits are cancelled."
Since Bailey can't make visits to teams, he's doing a virtual pro day this Friday from his training facility--the Fischer Institute--in Phoenix.
"It’s going to get videoed, cut up and sent to all 32 teams, just the six drills that the linebackers did at the combine," said Bailey.
Bailey was slated to visit the Dolphins on April 7-8. And he was going to attend the Colts' local pro day, as well.
"The Chiefs are supposed to have a FaceTime interview with me sometime in April," said Bailey. "I had a FaceTime interview with the Patriots last week that was an hour long. Teams have been setting them up through my agent.
"The 49ers called me and we talked. The Vikings have checked in. The Bengals checked in."
Bailey conducts the virtual interviews from a conference room at the Fischer Institute, which he says has remained opened since it was deemed an essential provider in his area because it's also a physical therapy provider.
"I can go in there with a white board," he said. "I'll get on my iPad and get on FaceTime and do a full interview. And then I'll draw some stuff up on the board and they will draw some stuff up with some plays they will want me to try to remember. And then I'll have to regurgitate it back to them."
It's not an ideal situation, especially for a player like Bailey who wants to show teams that he is healthy after having surgeries on both knees as well as hip surgery while at Purdue.
"We're just doing whatever we can do at this point," said Bailey. "And in my situation, the biggest question for me was my health. So, just to show teams that I am moving around well, I'm healthy, along with the medical scans from the combine, should prove to them that I am healthy enough to play ball.
"I've been told my scans look great. The physical exams at the combine all went well, too."
Bailey still feels confident he will be selected in the draft, which will take place April 23-25.
"I'm sort of frustrated that I won’t get a chance to actually show people in person that I'm feeling good," said Bailey. "From a team's perspective, they're investing money in athletes to come play football for them. Nothing's better than seeing someone in person. It is what it is at this point."
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