Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will petition the state of Ohio to allow extra fans into FirstEnergy Stadium for NFL games this fall. Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, the team will lobby to have up to 20 percent of stadium capacity, higher than the state’s established guideline of 15 percent.
The state is allowing either 1,500 fans or 15 percent of total capacity for all sports events being held outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. FirstEnergy Stadium has a fixed seating capacity of 67,895, which would top out at 15 percent at 10,184 fans in the stands. Allowing another 5 percent would permit up to 3,395 more fans into the stadium for the Browns’ eight home dates.
The Haslam’s indicated a desire to have as many fans as possible in FirstEnergy Stadium during their Zoom session with reporters on Sunday.
