Several NFL teams, including the Giants, have already canceled their training camps and will instead have practices back at their headquarters. Despite the fact that time is running out on the Eagles to commit to having their camp at Lehigh University, the team remains committed.
“For us, it’s a priority, so if there’s any way to do it, we definitely will,” Eagles president Joe Banner told Philly.com.
Banner said that the team would wait until “the last minute” to decide on whether they need to move their camp, saying being at Lehigh is “an important part to our whole approach to things.”
Should camp move from Lehigh to the Novacare complex, it would effectively shut out the fans. The Eagles have an agreement with their South Philly neighbors to not hold any fan events at the complex. Last year, the Eagles started camp on July 27th, which is just about two weeks from now. The Eagles would reportedly only need about a week to get ready to move up to Bethlehem, but the University usually takes three to four weeks to prepare Goodman Stadium for the influx of fans and players.
That means they already don’t really have enough time and when you consider that reports of a possible end to the lockout don’t have an agreement getting done until the 27th… It’s clear that camp at Lehigh is in serious doubt.