NFL Lets Bengals Off The Hook For Leaving Fans To Sit On Piles Of Snow
Despite a league policy requiring snow and ice to be removed before games, the Bengals decided to let their fans' butts freeze.
It appears the Cincinnati Bengals won't face discipline from the NFL after leaving snow-covered seats in place ahead of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite a league policy stating that "snow and ice must be removed from the stadium before all games," the seats at Paycor Stadium remained buried under piles of white fluff at kickoff.
MORE: Bengals Take Fan Suffering To New Level By Leaving Snow On Stadium Seats
The team defended itself in a statement to Pro Football Talk, saying, "Seat aisles were prioritized and are in good shape. Seats are easily wiped off and ushers are equipped to help there."
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Turns out, the league is siding with the Bengals on this one.
"The league’s football operations and security departments were in contact with the club and stadium personnel over the previous 48 hours regarding snow removal," a league spokesperson said, per PFT. "The field, sidelines, aisles and walkways were prioritized and appropriately cleared throughout the weekend.
"Additional snowfall occurred overnight which resulted in minimal accumulation within the stadium bowl. Mitigation efforts were implemented to ensure the field and stadium were ready for the game. Stadium personnel assisted fans at their seats as necessary."
But not everyone was satisfied with that explanation. Even with the aisles clear, fans at the game were forced either to sit on piles of cold, wet snow or to clean off the seats themselves. The temperature at kickoff was around 11 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
To make matters worse, the 24-0 beatdown courtesy of their AFC North rivals officially eliminated the Bengals from playoff contention in front of their thousands of frozen fans.
Even a local politician weighed in on Snowy-Seat-gate.
Hamilton County Commissioner Stephanie Dumas told The Enquirer she was concerned that some lower-level seats were cleared but upper-level seats were not.
"We need to do a better job for the next time," Dumas said. "I don't like it myself."
She added: "It's our stadium, but it's the Bengals' responsibility to make it a good environment for people coming."
For what it's worth, county commissioners approved a new lease with the Bengals in August with taxpayers contributing $350 million toward stadium improvements. Guess that's not enough to cover a few snow shovels.