Chiefs HC Andy Reid Addresses Possibility of Playing Without Fans
As the NFL season inches closer, questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic will logistically affect the upcoming season are becoming more prominent.
With some sports leagues around the world starting to return without fans in the stands, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid discussed the possibility of playing games in Arrowhead Stadium without Chiefs Kingdom in a video conference with reporters Friday.
“First of all, we love our fans,” Reid said. “They are the loudest in the world and it’s ridiculous how loud it gets for our opponents. On the other hand, we’ll still go play and it’ll kind of be that way. There will probably be a lot of talking with the players that you can hear. Those guys get pretty creative out there in their conversations. The fans, we’ll miss them if that’s where it goes, but we’ll still be able to function.”
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald said to reporters Thursday that, “you need fans to play the game.”
While Reid said he recognizes what the six-time Pro Bowler is saying, he said it might be what they all “have to deal with” if the situation calls for it.
“My hope is that we can get everybody back out there and we can have a stadium full of people and everybody can stay safe,” Reid said. “That is the most important thing as we go forward. And I’d say that same thing for your teams — all the teams around the world that are playing these different sports and are getting together now — I know safety ends up being the thing that’s talked about the most. And we make sure we’re doing that with our players.”
