Don’t plan on attending any Jets or Giants games at MetLife Stadium in 2020.
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that his executive order restricting outdoor public gatherings will apply to events at MetLife Stadium. In response to this news, the Jets and Giants released the following joint statement in which they said they will play without fans in attendance “until circumstances change.”
Today Governor Murphy announced that, due to the ongoing public health crisis, his Executive Order limiting outdoor public gatherings will apply to events at MetLife Stadium until further notice. This decision was reached after careful consideration of the current state of the COVID crisis, in discussions with our team, and in consideration of the health and safety of our fans, players and staff, which will continue to be our primary focus.
We support Governor Murphy’s decision in the interest of public health and safety and, until circumstances change, we will play our games without the benefit of fans in attendance. Although we would prefer to have fans at MetLife Stadium for our games, we will continue to work with Governor Murphy’s office and will provide updates if necessary.
Additionally, out of an abundance of caution, each team’s 2020 Training Camps and practices will not be open to the public.
We urge our fans to continue to take the necessary precautions recommended by health officials to stay safe and we look forward to seeing you at MetLife Stadium as soon as possible.
Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding during these unprecedented times and we will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available.
The language in the statement leaves open the possibility of fans returning to MetLife at some point this season if the crisis improves, but no such plans are in the stadium’s immediate future. Instead, the Jets and Giants will play in front of an empty house for the forseeable future.
Games without fans have become the new normal for sports in 2020. Various soccer leagues and Major League Baseball have already played without crowds. The National Basketball Association, meanwhile, won’t have fans when it resumes its season in its Disney bubble.
It remains to be seen what other NFL states, cities, venues and teams will do in regards to hosting fans this season, but the Jets and Giants will be without their hometown hopefuls.