Roger Goodell talks NFL’s decision to relocate Rams-Vikings playoff game amid LA wildfires

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league made the last-second decision to relocate the Los Angeles Rams and 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 came on short notice as the decision was made on Thursday. Because of the game being played on 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 as emergency officials scrambled to quench the infernos in the Los Angeles area.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, talks with Referee John Hussey before an NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Goodell talked about the unprecedented move in an interview with ESPN.

“What the people in Los Angeles are going through, the devastation, the loss, the heartache all of us feel for them, we knew the game couldn’t be played there by Thursday,” he said. “The public safety and compromising any of that was not something we do. And we wanted to make sure the focus for the first responders was taking care of the people that are struggling out there so much.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell watches before an NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“When we made that decision, the league comes together. We have preparations or what we call contingency plans that includes two stadiums every week, and this was a perfect fit as far as the location for the Los Angeles Rams’ fans, and I’m proud to say 45,000 of them made the trip over here, which is just extraordinary. Everybody came together and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals are at the top of that list.”

Rams fans indeed made that trip down to Glendale, Arizona. The organization even got the field painted with Rams colors and the big LA logo in the middle of the field.

Before the game, the Rams were among the 12 Los Angeles and Anaheim area teams that announced a combined $8 million donation to those affected by the wildfires.

Los Angeles Rams fans hold a signs before an 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 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 were named as the beneficiaries of the donations.

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