Cuomo 'would love nothing more' than seeing Bills fans at home playoff game

On Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he "would love nothing more" than to see Bills fans have an opportunity to attend a home playoff game for the first time since then.

Whether that will happen has a little to do with the team and a lot to do with Covid-19.

The governor, speaking at a Friday morning coronavirus briefing, said the state is still considering the possibility of allowing fans to see a game in person at Bills Stadium, but that he supports fans being able to see the Bills play at Bills Stadium if it is possible and if proper protocols are followed. 

"I would love nothing more, on a personal level, than to see Buffalonians enjoy this moment," the governor said. "...Buffalo deserves it. Buffalo Bills fans are like none other.

"If we're in the playoffs, if the infection rate is under control and the capacity rate is under control and we come up with a smart, science-based way to do it, I would be all in favor."

Cuomo said any decision regarding fan attendance would be made in consultation with state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. 

"It's going to be a health decision," Cuomo said. "I'm going to communicate that if there's any way to figure it out, we should try to figure it out."

A spokesman for Pegula Sports & Entertainment, the sports and entertainment businesses owned by Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula, declined comment. County Executive Mark Poloncarz also did not respond to a request for comment .

Bills home playoff games were a regular occurrence in the 1990s, as the team became a perennial championship contender, making it to four consecutive Super Bowls. The last one came following the 1996 season when the Bills were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-27. That game also was the last game played by Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

The Bills were in the playoffs following the 1998 and 1999 seasons, but played their playoff games on the road. A long playoff drought followed, ending in the 2017 season. The team returned to the playoffs again last year, but lost in Houston. If the Bills win Saturday in Denver against the Broncos, they would clinch the AFC East Division title and be assured at least one home playoff game.

Cuomo said that when the possibility of Bills fans attending home games was first being discussed, several weeks into the season, was when Western New York's positivity rate spiked. 

The governor had said then, at the end of September, that he was going to visit Orchard Park to assess the possibility of fans attending games.

"I'm 100% eager to get fans back into games," Cuomo said Sept. 30.

But then, Cuomo said Friday, "the infection rate went wild." 

"The infection rate is now coming down," the governor said. "I'm going to be curious to see where we are when the Bills are in the playoff" in January.

"There are a number of stadiums that have allowed people, but it depends on the situation in Buffalo, right? It depends on where you are on that infection rate and where you are on that hospital capacity."

On Oct. 31, Cuomo said again he planned to visit Orchard Park. "I'm going to take a look myself, but we are working on it," he said at the time.

On Nov. 6, as the positive test rate for Covid-19 had begun to rise as part of what would become the even-more-devastating second wave of Covid-19 to hit the region, the governor said no fans would be allowed at Bills games anytime soon.

"It would be reckless to open the stadium up to spectators," he said at the time.

Across the NFL, some teams have been and are allowing fans to attend games. Spectators are being allowed at seven of this weekend's games with varying capacity limits, according to NBC Sports.

As of Friday, fans will be admitted this weekend to home games of the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals, according to NBC Sports.