New York Jets strong safety Jamal Adams firmly believes fans should be allowed to attend games in 2020 under proper procedures.
Although Jamal Adams has officially requested a trade from the New York Jets, he is not about to give up the fans completely.
On Friday, Adams spoke up about the possibility that NFL games could be played in empty stadiums—an idea he firmly opposes.
Not having fans in stadiums would be beyond wack. Let fans decide if they want to show up & support.
Have them sign a waiver, & require masks!— Jamal Adams (@Prez) July 10, 2020
Jamal Adams on fan attendance in 2020. …who could argue this sentiment? #Jets
LEARN MORE ABOUT JET X: https://t.co/i9LR2JBHSi pic.twitter.com/HpMr3IFfO4
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) July 10, 2020
“Not having fans in stadiums would be beyond wack,” Adams tweeted. “Let fans decide if they want to show up and support. Have them sign a waiver and require masks!”
Adams, 24, is of course in the midst of a turbulent offseason marred by unhappiness. The LSU product wants a contract extension now as, arguably, the best safety in the NFL, while the Jets seemingly want to wait until next offseason.
In addition to officially requesting a trade, the kid’s overall noise on social media at every turn has turned a great portion of the fanbase away from his usual charm. It’s exactly why this quote makes things interesting.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is taking a slightly different approach to the topic. In an interview with Sirius/XM NFL Radio on Friday, Murphy remained hopeful fans would be allowed to attend NFL games this season, as transcribed by Art Stapleton of North Jersey.
“I still hold out some hope for fans in football,” Murphy said in the interview. “The virus indoors is a lot more lethal than it is outdoors. …It’s a whole different ball game inside than outside.”
He also made it painfully clear this won’t be just an NFL decision.
“We’d need to be involved because this is a public health matter, so we couldn’t put people in close contact with each other unless we thought that was a responsible step to take. That’s the big nut that we still have yet to crack, I would say,” Murphy said.
“Whether they go the European soccer route where they’re playing the games with no fans, or whether or not there’s some amount of fans they can have in there, that’s a decision we have to make together.”
Adams is seemingly throwing an olive branch out there to the fans, making it clear he still values the actual root of professional football (the paying customers). Whether or not he’s specifically talking to Jets fans is not really a concern for the moment.
What matters is the idea Adams wants it made perfectly clear that he still cares about the fans from an overall perspective. How the fans currently feel about him is an entirely different story for another day.
Jamal Adams is slated to make just about $3.5 million this coming season—his fourth with the New York Jets. If it was up to him, the fans would be there under the proper procedures and protocols, of course.
