Saints: 'No Intention' of Requiring COVID Vaccination to Attend Games

A report by a local New Orleans news outlet stirred up some controversy regarding Saints fan attendance in 2021, but was addressed by the team in a statement on social media.

John Hendrix | May 15, 2021

With the NFL schedule dropping on Thursday, the league year is officially set. That means fans will begin making big preparations for traveling to see their teams play this season. The Saints will be a huge draw for both home and visiting fans this year, especially with big games hosting the Bills, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Packers.

A recent interesting report by local New Orleans new outlet WWL-TV hinted that the Saints may require vaccinations from attending fans for the upcoming season, but it was addressed publicly by the team via a statement from their personal Twitter account.

"The New Orleans Saints have no intention of requiring that our fans provide any confirmation of a COVID vaccination to attend our games. However, we do encourage our fans to get vaccinated."

The Saints, along with the rest of the 31 NFL teams, are expecting high-capacity crowds in 2021. Ultimately, the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED) would make the final call when that time comes. Stadium officials said they will be monitoring vaccination rates, according to the report, and were hopeful to have a full stadium for games in the upcoming season.

We're less than four months out from the regular season starting, and honestly the first home preseason game against Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars will be the first big test in the Superdome and how the fan experience goes on Aug. 23 in a nationally televised contest.

Published May 15, 2021

JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net