NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league made a last-second decision to move locations Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings' playoff game from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to wildfires in Southern California.
This step came in a short time The decision has been made Thursday. Since the game would be 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 scrambled 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 playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and 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 people are going through in Los Angeles, the devastation, the loss, the pain we all feel for them, we knew the game couldn't be played there by Thursday,” he said. “Public safety and compromising any of that was not something we did. And we wanted to make sure that the first responders' focus was on taking care of the people who are struggling out there so much.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell watches before an NFL playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“When we made that decision, the league came together. We have preparations or what we call contingency plans that include two stadiums every week, and that was a perfect fit in terms of where the Los Angeles Rams fans are, and I'm proud to say that 45,000 of them made the trip here, which is Very exceptional. Everyone came together and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals were at the top of that list.
Rams fans have already made the trip to Glendale, Arizona. The organization even painted the field in Rams colors and a large Los Angeles logo in the middle of the field.
Before the game, the Rams were among 12 teams in the Los Angeles and Anaheim area who announced a total donation of $8 million to those affected by the wildfires.
Los Angeles Rams fans hold signs before an NFL 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 support 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 this Program. Donations.
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