The NFL failed to take necessary precautions this week when they decided Friday afternoon to keep with the original schedule for the Buffalo Bills Wild Card matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Per Adam Schefter with ESPN, the league monitored the forecast this week before telling both teams Friday afternoon they’d play at 1 PM Sunday afternoon. However, the weather in Western New York was dangerous enough Saturday for Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a travel ban that included Buffalo. Hochul, the Bills, and the league postponed the Wild Card game until Monday afternoon.
However, the travel ban is still in effect, meaning Pittsburgh fans traveling from Pennsylvania with tickets for the game cannot make their destination. Per video posted by Gov. Hochul’s account Sunday afternoon, there is good reason for the travel ban.
Current view of downtown Buffalo. Looks like a pretty good day to not have a football game.
Please, stay home and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/PXwGxcMLk7
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) January 14, 2024
The NFL put first responders at risk in Buffalo
There are reports the NFL could postpone the game until Tuesday. As Mike Florio with the NFL wrote Sunday morning, travel conditions are expected to be “messy” Monday after Sunday’s winter storm activity. Florio wrote first responders are at risk due to the league’s decision to keep the game in Buffalo:
“The issue isn’t whether it’s safe to play in the elements. The issue is whether it’s safe for people to travel to and from the game. And whether it’s sensible to have resources devoted to rescuing those who attempt and fail to get there. And whether it makes sense to unnecessarily imperil first responders who would be trying to help those who end up in a jam from which they’d need to be saved.
Even if the Bills were building a domed stadium, this would still be a possibility.”
The league royally botched this game up. They were quick to shut down a report that the game could be moved to a neutral site, Cleveland, due to the weather. Instead, the league has caused a cluster of problems, not just for the local and state governments of Pennsylvania and New York but also for the teams.
The eventual winner of the Bills/Steelers matchup will be at a competitive disadvantage when they play their opponent next week because that team will have a short turnaround time.
All of this could have been avoided if the league actually monitored the situation properly and made a tough but ultimately correct choice to move the game to a city where fans’ lives and first responders weren’t at risk.
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