The team is scheduled to host the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County is currently under a stay-at-home advisory for the next four weeks, with officials recommending (though not requiring) residents avoid leaving for anything other than non-essential activities. In-person school classes, religious services, and other public gatherings are also being discouraged.
But despite the warnings and rising COVID-19 case numbers, the Browns still plan to host up to 12,000 fans at their remaining home games, including this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The team confirmed this to 3News Thursday evening, saying they “will monitor and remain flexible but [are] planning to continue to safely host a limited number of fans while strictly enforcing protocols on Sunday.”
No NFL teams have been allowed to fill their stadiums to capacity this season, with some playing in front of completely empty stadiums. The Browns first welcomed 6,000 fans at each of their first two home games before that figure was expanded to 12,000 with the permission of Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration.
“I can’t wait to see that stadium filled at some point, but for now, we will just follow the protocols,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said of the small-yet-boisterous crowd. “I really do appreciate how loud they have been. I feel their enthusiasm.”
However, those guidelines were originally set when Ohio’s coronavirus numbers were still relatively low. They have since skyrocketed, and although local leaders are not demanding the Browns cease allowing fans at FirstEnergy Stadium, others in the state have done just that, with Ohio State now banning family members from all sporting events and the OHSAA moving its state football championships from Columbus to Massillon after Franklin County issued its own stay-at-home order this week.
The Browns themselves have been impacted by the pandemic, with offensive lineman Chris Hubbard and fullback Andy Janovich both out indefinitely after presumably testing positive for the virus. Three other players are currently on Cleveland’s reserve/COVID-19 list for possible exposure.