NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL said security will be heightened for the game in Paris between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints on Sunday after civil unrest protests engulfed the French capital last weekend.
Executive VP of club business, international and league events Peter O’Reilly said officials are collaborating with Parisian and national authorities overseas, along with the U.S. State Department. League officials, including senior VP of security Cathy Lanier, have been on the ground in France, according to O'Reilly.
“There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security — everybody involved with this game,” O’Reilly said at the league’s annual fall owners meeting. “Obviously being very vigilant in everything we do, in all of our planning on an hour-by-hour basis, working closely with the two teams.”
O’Reilly said there was never a point that the game was in danger of not being played at Stade de France, which is in the outskirts of Paris in Saint-Denis. He cited other sporting events ongoing in the city, including a Champions League soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona on Tuesday night.
The NFL has in the past moved games to avoid getting in the way of local response to an unforeseen event, and officials believe that is not an issue for the league's debut in France.
"We feel confident that we would not have any impact on the broader resources needed," O'Reilly said. “That’s always top of mind for us, and we feel confident that we wouldn’t be depleting resources in a negative way around this game.”
Rioters clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings and engulfed a historic city hall in flames in France’s worst civil unrest in years as violence and looting swept through major cities.
About 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend, and authorities said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. The rioting overshadowed demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools in which hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully.
The Saints traveled directly to Paris after playing at the New York Giants and are practicing in the area this week. The Steelers are set to travel closer to kickoff.
International play questions
With the collective bargaining agreement allowing for up to 10 international games, O'Reilly said that number is being considered for next season. There are a record nine on the schedule this year.
Where those games take place is still being discussed.
“We like continuity, but we are looking at new regions, and Asia would be one of them,” O'Reilly said.
After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel.
“That is the discretion of the club,” O'Reilly said. “As it stands today, you let the football decisions reside at the football level in terms of how they want to plan and prepare for a game coming in. That’s not something we’re ruling out, and there could be discussion on is there some standardization in the future. But right now, that’s the prerogative.”
49ers owner Jed York returns from his suspension
With his suspension over Tuesday, 49ers owner Jed York was in attendance for the fall meeting.
York was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after being arrested in a prostitution sting in Ohio in August. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors but was still punished by the league and stayed away from the 49ers during their 6-0 start.
York didn’t attend the owners’ meetings in Atlanta the week of his arrest.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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