The New Orleans Saints officially kicked off their practice week on Wednesday on the outskirts of Paris as unrest stemming from protests continues to impact the region.
The team's plans, however, have been largely unaffected, Saints GM Mickey Loomis said when he addressed the media, though there continues to be a running dialogue between the team and local officials in the buildup to the game.
“We have a lot of confidence in the security team that’s in place, local security, the league and our own security people," Loomis said. "So far we haven’t been affected in any way. … Hopefully that stays that way.”
The Saints held the first of three practices this week at Stade Montbauron in Versailles, the same area where they are headquartered in the buildup to the game. The Steelers will not be arriving until later in the week, with the game set to be played at 2:30 p.m. local time at Stade de France.
“We just had a couple of options and our football operations person who came over said this was the best site," Loomis said, "so this is why we chose it and I’m glad we did. It’s been fantastic.”
The Saints arrived on Monday, with players taking in the sights, including a Paris St. Germain win over Barcelona on Tuesday. Players said they sensed little impact of the violent protests that have occurred in recent weeks, though they were well aware of the situation.
The NFL has stated that security will be heightened for the game.
“There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security — everybody involved with this game,” Executive VP of club business, international and league events Peter 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 added that the game was never in danger of not being played at Stade de France, which is in the outskirts of Paris in Saint-Denis.
"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.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that is confident in the game's ability to go off safely. He also noted that he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that officials are in touch with Parisian and French authorities.
“We’ve made all the preparations,” Goodell said. “Protests are not unusual in France, as you know, and that’s something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made.”
About 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend, and authorities said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. The rioting spun out of what began as demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report
