CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals will not have fans attend their season opener Sunday, Sept. 13, against the L.A. Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium.
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"For several months, the Bengals have worked diligently with the NFL, with local governments and with experts in the health community to develop a plan to responsibly host fans during the 2020 NFL season at Paul Brown Stadium," said Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn.
“The Bengals filed a request for exemption seeking to have fans at games. The variance we requested has not been granted by the state at this time. While we want fans to attend our games, we accept and understand the State of Ohio’s position. We will monitor the situation moving forward and continue exploring whether fans may attend games as the season goes along.
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“Paul Brown Stadium will not be the same without our fans, but we hope everyone shares our excitement for the 2020 football season. The Bengals went through a busy offseason in free agency and the draft, and the roster promises to be fresh, talented and exciting.
“We value the support of our fans and will do our best to keep everyone up to date and connected with the team through our coverage on Bengals.com and across our social media accounts. We look forward to welcoming fans at Paul Brown Stadium when permitted by the State of Ohio.”
The Bengals will be in communication soon with season ticket members regarding further plans for both the 2020 and ’21 seasons, organization officials said.
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