NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is confident the league will be able to complete its five-month season despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
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However, Goodell says the NFL will abide by local regulations to determine whether fans can be in the stadiums.
"Public health and safety is number one for us, so if local officials are not comfortable from a medical standpoint then we're obviously going to heed that," Goodell told the television station CNBC.
Goodell stressed, however, that two or three stadiums will have "significant fans in them" next week.
Sports leagues across the country, including the NBA and Major League Baseball, have been grappling with how to play their seasons while keeping fans and players safe from the virus.
Meanwhile, some games have been postponed as players protest for racial justice.
Goodell recently expressed support for NFL players who have joined the movement to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by police in Wisconsin.
He told CNBC that the NFL should have listened to its players earlier regarding racial justice and that he is proud of what the league has done.
"We're going to stand behind our players," Goodell said.
Australian Associated Press
