Sometimes, even Governor Cuomo knows when to back down: he wisely changed his mind about watching the Buffalo Bills playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday after massive fan fury.
The gov initially intended to join in the fun of finally watching a game after his New Year’s announcement that some fans could go to the first playoff game at the Bills’ home since 1996, albeit with a limit of 6,700 people in the audience and main COVID-19 testing, masking and detachment requirements.
But Bills fans who waited decades to watch a playoff game – and a year to watch any game – revolted at Cuomo’s offer to reserve a seat for himself. A Change.org petition to ban the government from Bills Stadium had nearly 45,000 signatures on Thursday afternoon.
The petition said to the governor: “We don’t want you here” – and for the first time he heard it.
Cuomo is giving the ticket to a nurse at Erie County Medical Center “as a way of thanking and honoring all health professionals”.
Limited ticket availability is part of the New York pilot program in partnership with the Department of Health, Buffalo Bills and the NFL to start reopening businesses safely.
With the AFC’s second best record, the Bills can play three games at home in the playoffs. The governor, we presume, will now have the good sense to watch them all on TV.