New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Hopeful That Fans Will Be Able to Attend Giants, Jets Games This Fall

The governor expresses some optimism that smaller crowds could be admitted to NFL venues in New Jersey this fall.

The only thing that can be said for sure about the COVID-19 pandemic is that every day, every week new information emerges that causes federal, state, and local government and health officials to call an audible regarding how life in general and professional sports can proceed.

In New Jersey, home to the Giants and Jets, Governor Phil Murphy and his team have been especially aggressive in trying to flatten out the COVID-19 curve from a state that was once a hotspot in the country at the start of the pandemic.

Thus far, the efforts appear to have the state headed in the right direction. Though the state is in no means out of the woods yet, it’s made enough progress to where Murphy still has hope that if the league does stat on time this fall, that fans looking to attend games at MetLife Stadium will be able to do so, even if the stadium won’t be packed to its maximum crowd capacity.

“That’s the big nut that we still have yet to crack,” Murphy said during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio Friday with hots Charlie Weis and Bill Lekas. 

“Whether (the NFL) goes the European soccer route where they’re playing the games with no fans or whether or not there’s some amount of fans they can have in there, that’s a decision we have to make together.”

The NFL, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, will not be allowing fans to attend training camps this summer, but there has been a provision for teams to have up to two fan events at stadiums with “strict protocols” if state governments permit such events. Where fans are allowed at games, they will be required to wear face coverings.

While no decision has been made regarding fan attendance yet—there is still time to let things play out--Murphy did offer a glimmer of hope that smaller crowds might be able to attend Giants and Jets games this fall given that MetLife Stadium is an open-air venue.

“In New Jersey folks have been overwhelmingly, unbelievably responsible. There are always some knuckleheads who do something silly or stupid, but folks have been overwhelmingly doing the right thing," Murphy said.

“Secondly, the virus—which is why I still hold out some hope for fans in football—the virus indoors is a lot more lethal than it is outdoors.”

Still, those decisions will be made in cooperation with state and league health officials and team officials from the Giants and Jets, Murphy said.

“We’d need to be involved because this is a public health matter, so we couldn’t put people in close contact with each other unless we thought it was a responsible step to take,”

Murphy, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently signed a joint executive order mandating visitors from states which have seen spikes to their new COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine for at least 14 days upon their arrival to the tri-state area, said that visiting sports teams and gameday personnel who travel in from the current list of 19 states would be exempt.

Spoke to @NYGovCuomo’s office for clarity: Players do not have to arrive 14 days early for training camp to quarantine, they will need to be tested upon arrival and not do anything until results are in. NY is working with NJ and Conn., so this applies the #Giants & #Jets too

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2020

“We do have a carve-out for essential travel, and a professional sports team would qualify for that carve-out,” Murphy said, adding. “I’m sure we’d probably want to do one, and more than one, test for the virus when they got here, or ask them to take it as they’re leaving wherever their host state is. That’s the minimum standard. So at least the testing piece would have to be there, and I think if anyone is symptomatic or they’ve tested positive already, I’d hope they wouldn’t get on the plane.”