New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy hopeful MetLife Stadium will have capacity crowds in 2021
New York Jets and New York Giants fans look on during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on Monday he is hopeful capacity crowds will be allowed into MetLife Stadium for the 2021 NFL season.
"I’d say the prospects are pretty good," he said at his daily briefing when asked about the subject.
The NFL will announce its 2021 schedule on Wednesday, which will include 17 regular-season games at MetLife Stadium hosted by the Giants and Jets.
No fans were allowed to attend Giants or Jets home games in the 2020 season because of the pandemic.
With MetLife Stadium having fixed seating, Murphy said the key to allowing full houses will be anticipated changes to the CDC recommendations regarding six-foot social distancing. He said the expectation is that guidance on that as well as mask-wearing will "shift" in the coming months.
"Could you sit beside someone who is not in your family or your bubble?" Murphy asked aloud. "Too early to tell, but there’s a good shot."
Murphy also said his optimism stems from trends in vaccinations, hospitalizations and positive cases of COVID-19 in the state.
"If we get to our objectives there is a lot higher likelihood the Jets and Giants games can sell a lot more tickets," he said. "That’s what our hope is."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
