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On Monday, the Miami Dolphins announced they will allow a maximum capacity of 13,000 fans for their home opener against the Buffalo Bills, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The team announced that all fans will be required to wear a face mask while inside the stadium. Hard Rock Stadium can hold almost 65,000 fans, but will now be forced to hold fewer to maintain proper social distancing.
When asked about this in his Monday morning conference call, Bills head coach Sean McDermott was not pleased.
“It is what it is, we control what we can control,” said McDermott before getting more pointed. “I think it’s honestly ridiculous that there’s [an uneven] playing field that’s like that.”
The Miami Dolphins will host the Buffalo Bills for their home opener on 9/20 at 1:00 PM Eastern.
It was previously announced that New York State governor Andrew Cuomo won’t allow the Bills or other pro sports teams to have fans in attendance. Later in July, the Bills told season ticket holders that they were working on options to get some fans into the stadium but there has been no update. There are rumors that the Bills are training stadium staff in the event they are pressed into service on short notice.