NFL 'laser focused' on hosting Super Bowl LV as scheduled

The coronavirus pandemic hasn't changed the NFL's plans regarding Super Bowl LV.

NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly wants to move forward with Super Bowl LV as planned at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. However, the league is acknowledging it'll have to be "flexible and adaptable" amid the epidemic.

"We're very confident in our protocols and are very focused on a Super Bowl and a season that ends on Feb. 7 and starts and ends as scheduled," O'Reilly said Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud and Charlie Frago. "(We're) laser focused on Feb. 7."

O'Reilly was part of a virtual news conference with the Super Bowl LV host committee on Tuesday. The committee unveiled the Super Bowl LV experience, which will cover 2.7 miles of the Tampa Riverwalk and provide the first free all-outdoor venue to fans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of several NFL teams that recently announced they'll play the 2020 season with a reduced seating capacity for home games. Other clubs - such as the Washington Football Team and Las Vegas Raiders - will play the upcoming campaign with empty stadiums for home contests.

Tampa has hosted the Super Bowl four times - 1984, 1991, 2001, 2009 - and despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city is ready to welcome its fifth edition in 2021.

"Whether it was in 1991 during the Gulf War or 2009 during the recession, our community steps up when it needs to step up most," host committee chairman Rob Higgins said. "And there's no doubt, the last few months have been really challenging, and our partnership with the NFL has never been stronger, and we're ready for the challenge ahead.

"If there needs to be adjustments, we'll be ready to make them. At this point in time, there haven't been any adjustments. We just continue to plan. And through our great partnership with the NFL, we'll continue to stay joined at the hip with them and be ready to be as nimble as we need to be."