NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league made the last-second decision to relocate Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings’ playoff game from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to the wildfires in Southern California.
The move was made in a short period of time because the decision has been made on Thursday. Because the game was played on a Monday instead of the weekend, the teams had an extra day to pack up, get out of dodge and head south to play the game while emergency officials tried to put out the inferno in the Los Angeles area.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, left, talks with referee John Hussey before the NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Goodell spoke about the unprecedented move in an interview with ESPN.
“What the people in Los Angeles are going through, the devastation, the loss, the heartache we all feel for them, we knew the game couldn’t be played there until Thursday,” he said. “Public safety and jeopardizing any of that is not something we do. We wanted to make sure the focus for first responders was on taking care of the people who are out there struggling so much.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looks on before the NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“When we made that decision, the league is coming together. We have preparations or what we call contingency plans that include two stadiums every week, and this was a perfect fit as far as a location for Los Angeles Rams fans, and I’m proud to be able to to say that 45,000 have arrived here, which is incredible. They all came together, and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals are at the top of that list.”
Rams fans did go to Glendale, Arizona. The organization even got the field painted in Rams colors and a large LA logo in the middle of the field.
Before the game, the Rams were among 12 teams from the Los Angeles and Anaheim areas to announce a joint donation of $8 million to those affected by the wildfires.
Los Angeles Rams fans hold signs before the NFL wild card playoff football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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The money will go to help the victims and those fighting the fires. The American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon and several other local animal rescue organizations have been named as beneficiaries of the fund. donations.
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