On an appearance on CNBC Wednesday, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said there could be fans at NFL games in 2020.
“If you have everybody wear a mask in the stadium maybe it could be closer than that," said Tepper. "Maybe it could be three feet away, or three and a half feet away or whatever the number is with masks.”
You can watch Tepper's entire interview on CNBC here.
Tepper mentioned that expanded COVID-19 could play a crucial role in that happening.
Bank of America Stadium has a capacity of about 75,000, but Tepper does not envision any stadiums being full before a vaccine is available.
“You won’t have full stadiums," he said. "But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fans in the stadium either. If you’re comfortable being in a closed airplane on a cross-country trip, 18 inches apart, you might be comfortable in an open-air stadium? Maybe. Are you going to a restaurant six feet apart, are you OK with six feet apart in an open-air stadium?”
Tepper's comments come one week after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all 32 teams, asking them to not comment or speculate publicly on plans for the 2020 season.
The NFL also decided Wednesday to extend its virtual off-season through May 31. It was previously set to end on May 15.
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