The NFL season is still some six months away but Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is warning fans that adjustments may have to be made when it comes to the states, two professional football teams.
Sports and life itself have come to a halt amid the COVID-19 outbreak but In recent days, President Donald Trump has talked about the prospect of America’s sports world getting back on track.
“We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old.”
Wolf is saying not so fast to fans in his state, telling Trib Live that it’s too soon to speculate on the Philadelphia Eagles or Pittsburgh Steelers hosting home NFL games with fans in attendance.
“It’s too soon to tell how our current mitigation efforts will impact future public events,” Wolf’s Press Secretary Lyndsay Kensinger said via email.
“We are following guidelines and protocols set forth by the CDC and health officials from around the state,” Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten told me in an email after reading the statement from Kensinger. “If and when things change to our current working situation, we will adjust accordingly by following the guidance of the health officials as well as the Governor’s Office.”
When asked if Heinz field could potentially open back up before Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the Governor was again noncommittal.
”I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into place,” Wolf said in a conference call Thursday. “What I haven’t done is come up with the dates yet. We need to keep thinking about that, keep talking about it but … I’m not there yet. I’m not ready to provide that date.”
The Steelers are scheduled to play the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game on August 6 in Canton, Ohio.