NFL considering alternate Super Bowl sites amid COVID surge

The NFL is considering alternate stadium sites for the upcoming Super Bowl amid a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the nation, The Associated Press reported. 

In a statement on Wednesday, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told the newswire the league is still planning to host their annual sporting championship event at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. 

SoFi Stadium is home to both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. 

“As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances,” McCarthy told the AP. 

“Our planning process for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and we look forward to hosting the Super Bowl there to culminate another fantastic NFL season for our fans and clubs.”

According to the AP, the league is already looking at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas as a possible replacement. AT&T Stadium is home to the Dallas Cowboys. 

AT&T Stadium, nicknamed “Jerry’s World” after team owner Jerry Jones, hosted the 2021 Rose Bowl contest due to COVID-19 restrictions in California, where the annual bowl game is usually held, the AP reported. 

This comes as the U.S. is currently dealing with a winter surge of COVID-19 infections as the omicron variant has taken hold across the nation.

The NFL postponed multiple games late in its regular season due to teams experiencing virus outbreaks. 

The league recently revised its COVID-19 protocols by loosening testing requirements for fully vaccinated players who are not showing any virus symptoms and ending the weekly testing mandate for those players. 

Super Bowl LVI is scheduled for Feb.13.