Panthers owner: 'Some fans' could be allowed to attend NFL games

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Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper believes that while the NFL won't have full stadiums in 2020, a limited number of fans could be permitted to attend games.

"You won't be having full stadiums, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fans in the stadium either," Tepper said Wednesday, according to CNBC's Kevin Stankiewicz. "If you're comfortable being in a closed airplane for a cross-country trip, 18 inches apart, maybe with two seats in between you and being 5 feet away from each other, you might be comfortable in an open-air stadium."

Tepper added, "There should be some amount of fans in the stadiums, depending on what locale and where you are and what the local rules are. There could possibly be."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opened his state for pro sports this week, while Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced professional sports activities can resume as of May 16. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County's stay-at-home order is expected to be extended for the next three months, according to the L.A. Times' Colleen Shalby and Sarah Parvini.

It's still unclear when NFL teams will officially open their facilities. The league, which extended its virtual offseason period through May 29, has been operating under the belief that the season will take place as scheduled. However, contingency plans have been discussed and reportedly include potentially pushing back Super Bowl LV.

The NFL reportedly agreed to give clubs access to extra alternative money by raising teams' debt limits by $150 million this season to ease financial hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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