Titans to play home opener without fans
The Tennessee Titans will play their Sept. 20 home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars without fans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Mayor John Cooper made the announcement at his daily COVID-19 news conference on Tuesday.
“We must take a cautious approach recognizing that we cannot predict our COVID-19 metrics further into the fall sports season,” Cooper said.
Officials will continue to monitor developments to determine whether even a limited number of fans may attend any games as the season progresses.
“There’s certainly no denying that we wish we would be opening our home schedule on Sept. 20 in front of fans,” said Burke Nihill, the Titans president and CEO, who joined Cooper at his news conference.
“NFL football is a game meant to be played in front of a loud, cheering crowd and no one desires that outcome more than us. However, these are not normal times and as civic leaders in this great city, we understand and support Mayor Cooper and Metro Nashville Public Health Department’s decision today to delay welcoming fans into Nissan Stadium.”
Nashville’s MLS club also will play without fans in the stands, at least for now.
“Though the time to open its gates isn’t quite here yet, the good news is that the Titans have the right road map,” Michael Caldwell, the director and chief medical officer of the health department, said about the Titans’ stadium safety plan. “I’m confident that the plan we created together is a careful, well-rounded design that will provide a large degree of protection for fans attending games in the hopefully near future. I know the team has made the necessary preparations to implement significant safety measures when the time comes.”
The Titans open the season on Sept. 14 against the Broncos in Denver.
–Field Level Media
