On Tuesday, Philadelphia officials said that no fans will be allowed to attend Eagles and Phillies games this year, citing safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Eagles are still going to be allowed to play, although without crowds,” said the city’s managing director, Brian Abernathy. “The Phillies will continue to be allowed to play, although without crowds.” He added, “We have been in communication with the Eagles. We have told them our expectations are that they don’t have fans.”
Philadelphia health commissioner Thomas Farley said having spectators at the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field or the Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park would be unsafe: “I do not think that they can have spectators at those games. There’s no way for them to be safe having a crowd there.I can’t say what the plans are for the league, but from a safety perspective, they can play games but not [have] crowds.”
However, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said what happens in Philadelphia won’t impact the league’s decision-making for the NFL’s other 31 franchises. “We are gathering information on Philadelphia,” McCarthy said in a statement. “Decisions on the number of fans at stadiums will be determined on a market-by-market basis.”
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