The NFL is reportedly looking into contingency plans if COVID-19 restrictions in the Los Angeles area end up being too strict for the league to hold the Super Bowl there.
A Dallas Cowboys front-office source told WFAA [1] that the NFL is thinking about moving the Super Bowl from SoFi Stadium to AT&T Stadium in Arlington. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy then confirmed that this contingency plan is being looked into.
“We plan on playing Super Bowl LVI as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13,” McCarthy said.
“As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances,” he added. “Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule, and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”
Though Los Angeles does not currently have COVID-19 restrictions in place that would preclude the Super Bowl from being held there, cases are on the rise in the Democrat-run city. This means that officials could enact stricter COVID-19 restrictions there in the weeks to come.
Since Texas has been against COVID-19 jab mandates from the start of this pandemic, it’s safe to say that restrictions will not be put in place there that would stop the Super Bowl from being held. Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business and league events, however, claims to be confident that the game will be held in Los Angeles.
“Every single game we’ve played this year in a full-capacity stadium has allowed us to hone our protocols and prepare not only for game day at SoFi — in what is considered an outdoor building with a roof — but also for Super Bowl week,” O’Reilly told The Los Angeles Times [2]. “We want to be a role model. We know we’ve got a platform here, but we also know that we can do things safely and effectively. This is a big moment for us and for L.A., being back there after all these years, and we’re really confident in our plan.”
This piece was written by James Samson on January 6, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com [3] and is used by permission.