ORCHARD PARK (WBEN) - Nine of the 14 NFL games across the NFL had or will have at least some fans in attendance during Week 6, but the highly anticipated Monday night matchup between the Bills and Chiefs won't be one of them.
"This Kansas City team - they're the Super Bowl champs, they've got a dynamite quarterback, the excitement," said Eric Matwijow, owner of the Hammer Lot, as this will mark the third home game of the season that will be played in front of an empty Bills Stadium. "It's very unfortunate that we're not going to be able to have some entertainment."
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said she understands the frustration felt by fans, especially amid a solid 4-1 start to the season, as Governor Cuomo stated he was eager to get fans back in the stadium several weeks ago contingent on a visit to Orchard Park that still hasn't happened.
"When he made the statement that he'd like to come and see the situation, see the physical layout, see the places of ingress and egress, all the protocols taken, that was a time when Western New York's infection rate was quite low - we were among the lowest in the state," said Hochul. "We've also now had a spike where we are among the highest in the state, so a lot has happened since that time when he said he was going to come."
Matwijow is anxious to get people back to the stadium, not completely understanding the holdup in the process, while also vowing to enforce any rules or protocols that are put in place.
"We take it very serious; we know that this is not something to laugh at," he began. "But yet, you can walk into a WalMart close to people, Target, any other stores - you can do the same thing walking into the stadium, you can do the same thing walking into my parking lot.
"I have no problem laying that down and kicking you off my property if you don't abide by the rules," Matwijow continued. "If they do allow us, one person is going to be the rotten apple that's going to get my whole lot shut down? Trust me, I have no problem enforcing the rules."
Hochul made note that the Bills aren't the only team in this boat, as several franchises around the league aren't yet permitted to open their doors to fans, and she added that there are simply larger worries at the moment.
"Look at the fact that you wake up today and there's college games being canceled or postponed, National Football League games that are being changed and altered because of the infection...you have to understand that we're still battling a pandemic," said Hochul. "Whether or not that means there will be fans at some point in the season, I just can't predict.
"I never predicted we'd be having this conversation this late in the fall about whether or not we'd be able to see family over Thanksgiving or Christmas," she continued. "There's a lot of other things going on in life as well, as much as I know the epicenter of everything in Western New York revolves around the Bills. I get it, and I understand that, but I also know people are smart and they understand the importance of making the right decisio."
