New York Giants, Jets will not allow fans at home football games this fall due to the coronavirus, report says
The news out of New Jersey comes days after Philadelphia officials said it would be illegal for the Eagles to play in front of fans at Lincoln Financial Field, and then a day later clarified their stance.
The New York Giants and Jets will play their home football games without fans, according to NJ.com — if the NFL season kicks off as scheduled in September amid a pandemic that shows no signs of letting up.
The decision was made by team executives and the office of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, NJ.com reported Monday. Due to the coronavirus, the governor has prohibited outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people.
Both the Giants and the Jets play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., just west of New York City. The Eagles are set to visit the Giants, a division foe, at 1 p.m. on Nov. 15.
The news out of New Jersey comes days after Philadelphia officials said it would not allow the Eagles to play in front of fans at Lincoln Financial Field. A day later, the city clarified their stance to say fans could be allowed in a scenario where case numbers drop significantly and the city changes its coronavirus protocols. The city has announced a moratorium through February on large events that require a public permit.
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Rutgers University announced Monday the season will proceed with no fans in attendance, in accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order.
Rutgers, which plays in Piscataway, is in the Big Ten Conference, which recently announced a conference-only schedule for the season.
Penn State, also in the Big Ten, has yet to announce whether it will allow fans at Beaver Stadium, which can hold about 107,000. Rutgers usually draws far fewer fans.
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As the schedule stands now, the Nittany Lions are scheduled to close out the regular season with a visit to the Scarlet Knights in late November. But a season is far from set in stone.
“We may not have sports in the fall,” conference commissioner Kevin Warren said recently in an interview with Big Ten Network. “We may not have a college football season in the Big Ten.”