The NFL shut down its NFL House fan hub in Paris on Saturday, and the New Orleans Saints postponed their own fan events to Sunday as the French capital explodes in violent protests.
While the league said the NFL House would be closed “due to potential accessibility issues,” the NFL Paris Experience and Hail Mary throw across the Seine River events are still taking place, according to the league website.
French teen Oskar Le Gall, who participated in the toss over the Seine, told The Associated Press Saturday that while “the atmosphere of the NFL in Paris is amazing,” due to the extent of the league’s promotion of its events vis-a-vis French sports leagues, “it doesn’t feel calm and good to be a tourist in Paris.”
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The Saints, the only team in the league with marketing rights for France as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, said on social media that events at their Saints House hub would be moved to Sunday.
The team is set to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who canceled their own fan events.
More than 2,000 people were arrested for their role in the property-blazing riots, which President Trump has blamed on wide-open immigration.
The General Confederation of Labor, one of France’s largest trade unions, estimated the size of the Parisian protests at 250,000, according to Le Monde.
French President Emmanuel Macron met Friday with Steelers owner Art Rooney II, Saints owner Gayle Benson and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss the upcoming game and the NFL’s longer-term plans for possible events in France, according to the Associated Press.
After Sunday’s game in Paris, the NFL has three remaining international games this season:
- In Madrid, Spain, on Nov. 8 between the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
- In Munich on Nov. 15 between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.
- In Mexico City on Nov. 22 between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
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