NFL hit by coronavirus fallout as Los Angeles Rams cancel China trip
- Rams rookie Taylor Rapp was to head visit to Beijing and Shanghai this month
- Chinese-American impressed in debut season in the NFL, playing 15 of the team’s 16 games
The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and their rookie safety Taylor Rapp have cancelled their upcoming trip to China because of concerns over the coronavirus.
The planned trip was set to take in visits to Beijing and Shanghai from February 11-21.
Rapp, whose mother is from Shanghai, became the first Chinese-American to play in the NFL last season after being picked in the second round of the draft.
Injuries saw the rookie get more game time in his first season than expected, playing 15 of their 16 regular season games as they missed out on the play-offs.
Writer Rich Hammond, who covers the Rams for sports website The Athletic, broke the news on Twitter.
“Some folks have asked about the trip to China the Rams had scheduled with Taylor Rapp this month,” he wrote.
“That trip is not taking place now, over concerns about the coronavirus. It could happen at some point, but nothing scheduled at this time.”
The Rams had promoted Rapp’s trip on their own social media accounts last month.
