Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Rams home playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings has been moved to Arizona due to raging wildfires in the city, the National Football League said Thursday. “In the interest of public safety, Monday’s Vikings-Rams wild card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals,” the NFL said. The league said the decision was made after consultation with public officials, clubs and the players union.
The venue switch came hours after the NBA postponed Thursday’s scheduled home game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets. Rampaging fires in the California metropolis have left at least five people dead and destroyed entire neighborhoods. On Thursday, the Rams practiced outside under smoke-filled skies at their Woodland Hills training base.
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“It’s one of those deals that almost doesn’t feel real, but it certainly is real to the people that are affected,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “You just see the amount of people that are affected and it’s one of those deals that it gives you perspective. Hopefully, they get this stuff under control,” McVay added. “It has been a unique week. Fortunately for us, there have been some people that have been affected in regards to power outages, recommended evacuations — a couple of our staff members did have their homes affected — but fortunately to my knowledge, nobody has been injured. For that, we’re grateful.”
The Rams’ city rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, also practiced outside ahead of their playoff game in Houston on Saturday. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said his daughter Grace’s home was evacuated but the Chargers have remained “on mission” for their playoff matchup against the Texans. “Heart goes out and abundant prayers to all those that have been affected by this tragedy,” Harbaugh said. “Just been inspired greatly by the first responders, the firefighters, and the residents that have pulled together, had each other’s back. You see neighbors on top of houses helping fellow neighbors. It’s truly inspiring.”
© 2024 AFP
