New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signals for the return of the New York Jets and New York Giants
Sports are back in New Jersey. Sort of.
On Tuesday morning, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy (D) announced via his social media channels that professional sports teams based in New Jersey are allowed to resume practice and training as well as actual competition should their leagues so allow. It is a big step forward after the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant loss of life in the tristate area.
Murphy’s announcement comes after New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D) said last week he’d welcome the return of professional sports to his state. New York is far and away the state hit the hardest by the pandemic.
New Jersey, however, isn’t far behind. The state had the second-highest coronavirus tallies in the country, with 155,092 reported cases and 11,144 deaths.
This impacts the NFL as New Jersey is home to the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Both teams call MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford home. In addition, the Giants (East Rutherford) and the Jets (Florham Park) both have their team headquarters and practice facilities in New Jersey.
As such, the state is intricately woven into the fabric of the NFL. Murphy has earned praise for his thoughtful and cautious handling of the coronavirus as the state was hit hard by the pandemic.
On Tuesday afternoon, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported via a Jets team spokesperson that the Jets are working “"to establish prudent, health and safety measures for our staff and players. Based on those guidelines, we will begin to open our facility using a phased approach at a time that is most practical for our operations."
This means capping occupancy on the amount of personnel inside the team’s facility. In addition, it also will require social distancing, something that could certainly hinder certain parts of workouts or training in a contact sport.
The state is also the home of the New Jersey Devils (NHL), New York Red Bulls (MLS) and Sky Blue FC (NWSL). Playing in the first division women’s soccer league, Sky Blue is owned in part by Murphy and his wife.
