Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy says he is very aware of the situation in Paris but, that his team is excited to play in France on Sunday.
During his weekly news conference, McCarthy says he along with the team and owner Art Rooney II were part of a Zoom call with the NFL and that everyone’s questions about the situation in the city is being handled by the league.
Protests in the city and across France began in late September with students demanding changes at schools, dealing with overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, aging structures and more.
The protests have since spread with people protesting the rising cost of living, fuel prices and more.
Some protests have resulted in rioting with vehicles and businesses being destroyed, along with fires and violent clashes with police.
McCarthy says he is confident in the NFL and the Steelers’ plan for their time in Paris.
“We feel like we have a really good plan, we’re aware of the situations over there,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy says his players had an opportunity to ask NFL officials questions during the Zoom meeting and he went over the team’s plan for the trip.
Several players reacted to the upcoming trip as well.
Linebacker Jack Sawyer
“I think it will be fun. I never in a million years thought that I would play a football game anywhere else. Last year in Dublin, Ireland, was awesome. Expecting the same thing in Paris.”
“I know there are protests going on, I don’t even know what for or what is going on. I’m sure they will catch us up to speed soon.”
Safety Jaquan Brisker
“I’m going to go play the game, I’m just saying from what I’ve seen online it looks crazy out there. I guess everybody has a plan.” -everybody has seen it online.
Linebacker Payton Wilson
“Personally, I’m looking forward to it. I don’t get to leave the country too often, I think when I went to Ireland it was my first time. I’m just excited for the experience, but we are going to prepare the same way and try to come out with the same outcome.”
“It’s a sport that we all love. I’ve been playing it since I was five or six-years-old, just super-excited to let people see the passion that we have for this game. How fun it is and how fun it is to cheer for.”
The Steelers’ opponent, the New Orleans Saints, left for Paris after their game Sunday night.
The Steelers won’t leave until Thursday.
McCarthy says they looked at both options to leave early or later in the week, and he believes going later is best for them.
“The reality of it is, I’ve always just tried to stick to the basics, you know the hydration, sleep, just to make sure you give the men the best opportunity to prepare, to preform and ultimately stay in as normal as a flow of preparation as you can,” said McCarthy.
