The Pittsburgh Steelers are very much aware of the protests that are currently ongoing in France and have a plan in place as they get set to face the New Orleans Saints in Paris in Week 7.
During his weekly press conference, head coach Mike McCarthy noted that the Steelers conducted a Zoom call with the league office, which is typical protocol for international games, and that the organization is confident in its plan as it heads overseas.
“I'm obviously very aware, that’s part or the normal planning anytime you go abroad," McCarthy said. "The team is excited about playing over there….we had a Zoom call today with the league office, that’s normal protocol. We have a lot of confidence in our plan.”
What's Happening in France?
A string of anti-government protests have taken place throughout France recently.
According to USA Today, more than 2,000 people were arrested in the country for their roles in riots that ultimately became violent over the weekend.
The protests first began when high school and university students were seeking more funding from the French government for education while also wanting better conditions in schools.
Other groups later joined in, including labor unions, farmers and other workers' groups (as noted by USA Today).
The rising cost of living in France has also been a central topic within the protests.
NFL's Statement
The NFL put out a statement this past weekend, which noted that preparations for the meeting between the Steelers and Saints at Stade de France remain ongoing while the league works with local authorities to ensure all operational and security matters are properly tended to.
"Preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France next Sunday," the NFL said, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There's been no disruption or impact at league sites."
Steelers' Travel Plans
Coming off a comeback 26-19 victory on the road over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, Pittsburgh is now sitting at 4-2 and in a three-way atop the AFC North.
The Cleveland Browns hold a three-way tiebreaker over the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, however, as they are 2-0 in the division while Pittsburgh is 1-1 and Baltimore is 0-1 after falling to Cleveland this past weekend.
As the Steelers look to build on their two-game win streak, they won't head over to France until later in the week, on Thursday, October 22. New Orleans, meanwhile, has already landed in Paris.
Pittsburgh followed the same plan ahead of its contest in Dublin, Ireland last season against the Minnesota Vikings, and it paid off with a 24-21 victory at Croke Park.
McCarthy explained that the Steelers' decision to hold off on heading to France for a few days came down to attempting to keep the entire process as normal as possible for the team while giving themselves the best odds of coming away with a win.
“Just like anything, when the schedule comes out we’re on a 7-day week flow here," McCarthy said. "Played yesterday in Tampa, had to travel back, so that factors into it... Whether you’re playing in the Super Bowl or you're playing in a Monday night game, you look at all of those things and the reality of it is I've always tried to stick to the basics. The hydration, the sleep, just to give the men the best opportunity to prepare and perform while staying in the normal flow of operation as possible."
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