The NFL is keeping Steelers-Saints in Paris, even with civil unrest in the city, and league officials say the game at Stade de France will go forward with extra security in place.
At the league meetings on Tuesday, NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly said the league never came especially close to moving the game. Instead, the focus has been on tightening the security plan with local officials and staying alert as the situation develops.
“There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security -- everybody involved with this game,” O’Reilly said. “Obviously being very vigilant in everything we do, in all of our planning on an hour-by-hour basis, working closely with the two teams.”
The Steelers are scheduled to head to Paris on Thursday and arrive Friday, while the Saints are already in the city and will practice throughout the week. With the NFL standing pat on the venue, the league’s plans around the game remain in place, including team activities and the rest of the week’s events.
Officials also do not expect the larger security presence around Stade de France to take away from efforts elsewhere if protests continue. O’Reilly said the league believes the game will not drain broader resources in the city.
“We feel confident that we would not have any impact on the broader resources needed,” O’Reilly said. “That’s always top of mind for us, and we feel confident that we wouldn’t be depleting resources in a negative way around this game.”
The Steelers and Saints were on league calls Monday to review security measures, and Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said he thinks the club has a solid plan for the full week, protests included.
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