Roger Goodell still unsure about in-person attendance at Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LV is less than two months away, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell still doesn’t know how many people will be able to attend in person.
During a conference call with the media on Monday, Goodell revealed that the NFL is still working out how many people it can safely have at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium in early February.
“We will be working with public officials and the health officials to define that as we get closer to the game,” Goodell said via the Tampa Bay Times.
“I’m not sure there’s a specific number that we are confident saying this is what it will be. But obviously our focus will be keeping them safe, whoever is there. ... We will not make projections about what the current environment will be 55 days from now.”
The situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is constantly changing, and no one knows what it’ll look like in a month or more — especially with the first doses of the vaccine being administered all over the country. In light of that, Goodell promised that NFL players, coaches and staff would not jump the line for the vaccine ahead of the Super Bowl.
Goodell felt safe during game at Raymond James Stadium
Goodell was in Tampa on Sunday and attended the game between the Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings. He was impressed with how the staff and fans at Raymond James Stadium were handling all the regulations, and said that he felt safe while he was there.
“I was incredibly impressed with the fans,” Goodell said via the Tampa Bay Times. “Everyone looked comfortable, happy, safe. We felt entirely safe. People wearing PPE and keeping social-distancing. A lot of assistance around the stadium as I walked around. ... I just thought it was incredibly well done, having been in several stadiums.”
He also praised Tampa for embracing the challenge of hosting the Super Bowl during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is optimistic that it’ll be an event no one will forget.
“I think no one probably imagined the challenges and the circumstances that the country would soon face coming out of that,” Goodell said. “But I’m certain with the host committee, with our staff, we’ll rise to the occasion and take advantage and define this moment in a very positive way. We believe this Super Bowl LV will be one of the most unifying, memorable and meaningful Super Bowls in our history.”
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