The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers are set to do battle in Brazil this coming Friday night. The matchup in Sao Paulo will represent the first ever regular-season NFL game in a South American nation.
It has not come without some major push back. After all, crime rates are high in Brazil. Add in warnings the league provided Eagles and Packers players, and there has been some concern over safety.
Eagles star cornerback Darius Slay was the latest to voice his opposition about playing in the Brazilian capital.
“I do not want to go to Brazil. You want to know why? I’m going to tell you why,” Slay said. “They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much going on, because the crime rate is crazy. I’m like ‘NFL, why would you want to send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?”
To put this into perspective, crime rates in Sao Paulo and Philadelphia are pretty similar. Even then, the warning provided to Eagles and Packers players have to be seen as concerning.
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Brazil doing what it can to quiet concerns over safety of Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers players
Slay is not the only Eagles player to speak out against playing in Brazil. A.J. Brown recently voiced his concerns, too.
“It was me talking to them and asking a lot of questions,” Brown explained. “You know that was my first initial thought but after hearing all the stuff, I’m probably gonna be in my room.”
The Sao Paulo state government is taking extra measures to secure players as they prepare for Friday night’s game.
“To guarantee the safety of the players, the military police will reinforce the number of personnel upon arrival of the delegations at the Guarulhos Airport and escort the teams to their hotels, training sites and the stadium,” the government said in a statement obtained by ESPN.
Authorities will also carry out a sweep at the stadium before the game.
The backdrop here also includes a wildfire the Amazon Rainforest that has blanketed the state of Sao Paulo and its neighboring areas with unhealthy smoke.
Despite all of this, the NFL is forging ahead with the game. It’s slated to kick off Friday at 8:15 PM ET and can be streamed on Peacock.