Arizona Cardinals prep the field for Rams and Vikings Wild Card game
The Cardinals transform State Farm Stadium practice field for fellow NFC West team Rams as NFL playoff game is moved to Phoenix.
Courtesy of Arizona Cardinals
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell heaped praise upon the Arizona Cardinals and their owner, Michael Bidwill, before the playoff game between the LA Rams and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
The game was moved from Los Angeles to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where the Cardinals play their home games, because of the horrific fires in California — a relocation accomplished in five days, Goodell said.
Goodell appeared on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” in a brief interview with Joe Buck, the play-by-play announcer for “Monday Night Football.”
“Everybody came together and Michael Bidwill and the Cardinals are at the top of that list,” Goodell said. They turned the relocation of the game around in five days, Goodell said, something Buck called “a Herculean and remarkable effort.”
The Arizona Cardinals loaned two planes to the LA Rams
Buck said he spoke with Bidwill about the efforts the Cardinals made to help move the game, including lending the Rams two planes.
“It is truly remarkable, sending two planes to get the Rams staff and personnel and families and, in some cases, I think he told me six dogs and two cats,” Buck said.
Goodell said more than 45,000 Rams fans made the trip to Glendale for the game. Hotels sold out in a flash at Westgate Entertainment District adjacent to State Farm Stadium.
“We like to say the league is 32 clubs and they compete, as you know, very hard on game days, but they come together and they support one another,” Goodell said. “They did that here. Every one of them had their hands out, their arms out, whatever they could do to provide resources to help. Again, Michael was at the top of that list.”
Buck noted that the fires put the game into perspective.
“This is a fun, fun time of year in the league, but reality has hit hard this week,” he said.
It is only a football game, but Goodell said he sees it as part of helping the community heal.
“One of the things that we wanted to do by playing this game tonight,” he said, “is send that message back to the people in Los Angeles that the NFL, this community, every community in this nation and around the world are there to support them, are rooting for them and are going to be part of bringing LA back.”
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Subscribe to the weekly Watchlist newsletter.
