The New York Giants and New York Jets announced in a joint statement Monday afternoon that they will play games at MetLife Stadium without fans — in accordance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders limiting outdoor gatherings.
The teams said they supported the decision, saying the health and safety of fans, players and staff was their primary focus. The teams also said their 2020 training camps and practices will not be open to the public.
Earlier Monday, Rutgers also announced it will not have fans in attendance at its games this fall.
Murphy said the decision came after a number of discussions.
“My administration has been working in close coordination with professional sports and college teams to determine how to proceed safely with games at their stadiums amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement. “While we look forward to the day we can return to games as normal and cheer from the stands, continued concerns for the health and safety of fans, team members and staff dictates that our executive order limiting outdoor gatherings does apply to sporting events, including training camp.
“We will continue to closely monitor the public health reality and work with health experts to determine how to move forward, and we will continue to work closely with the teams as conditions change. Like all fans across New Jersey, I look forward to watching our teams play from home and plan to be there in person to support the teams when it is safe to do so.”
The statement from the Giants and Jets reads:
Today, Gov. 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-19 crisis, in discussions with the Giants and Jets, and in consideration of the health and safety of our fans, players and staff, which will continue to be the primary focus for our teams.
“We support Gov. Murphy’s decision in the interest of public health and safety and, until circumstances change, both the Giants and Jets 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 Gov. 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.”
