Rodgers says Paris safe for NFL debut despite unrest and travel gripe
The Steelers quarterback says he trusts the NFL's security judgement ahead of Sunday's Stade de France opener, while also airing frustration at his side's tight turnaround before kickoff.
Aaron Rodgers says he is confident Sunday's NFL regular-season game in Paris will go ahead safely, even as the French capital deals with its worst urban unrest in years.
The Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, roughly ten kilometres from central Paris, in the league's first ever regular-season fixture staged in France.
Rodgers arrives in form after leading Pittsburgh to a 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay on 18 October, a result that has given the Steelers momentum heading into the trip.
Demonstrations over the cost of living, strained public schools and teacher shortages have gripped Paris, with some estimates putting last weekend's march at around 800,000 people, according to Guardian NFL. President Emmanuel Macron tightened restrictions on protests on Thursday amid fears that fresh demonstrations planned for Saturday could turn violent.
The unrest has already disrupted French football, with Sunday's Ligue 1 fixture between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon postponed to Monday night at the request of local police, who cited security concerns and strain on resources over a weekend that also includes the NFL fixture.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Rodgers said he trusted the league's handling of the situation. "I definitely think that the NFL is alert to what's going on," he said. "This game means a lot to the NFL. If it was unsafe, then I'm sure we wouldn't be here."
The NFL said it was continuing preparations as scheduled, stating: "We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters," and adding there had been no disruption at league sites. The US State Department nonetheless issued a security alert for fans on Thursday night.
The Steelers cancelled a planned fan event, Steelers House, in the Bastille neighbourhood on Thursday because of the unrest.
Separately, Rodgers used Friday's media session to question his team's travel planning. The Steelers left Pittsburgh on Thursday evening and landed in Paris early Friday morning, leaving roughly two days before kickoff. The Saints, by contrast, flew out immediately after beating the New York Giants and have been based in Paris since Monday.
"I played in three countries now, and each of them we've left on Thursday early evening. Would have been nice one time to come over on a Monday," Rodgers told reporters, according to The Athletic's Mike DeFabo as relayed by Yahoo Sports.
Pittsburgh has followed the same late-departure pattern on its European trips since 2013, including last year's win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin.
Time zones add a further wrinkle to the preparation. Paris sat six hours ahead of Pittsburgh on Friday, though Europe's clocks moved back on Saturday night, narrowing the gap to five hours by kickoff.
The 42-year-old quarterback, whose long-running NFL commitment was described by Sky Sports Rugby Union as something close to a "magnificent obsession" during his Paris media duties, is now set to add another chapter to that history on Sunday against the Saints at the Stade de France.
