Steelers Cancel Paris Fan Event Over Unrest While NFL Keeps Game and Its Own Event on Schedule

The Pittsburgh Steelers have canceled a fan event planned for this week in Paris, citing safety concerns tied to civil unrest in the city, even as the NFL insists its own game and fan gathering in the French capital will go ahead as scheduled.

The club confirmed to OutKick that it pulled the plug on a “Steelers House” fan event. In a statement, the team said: “Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate not to move forward with the planned Steelers House fan event in Paris.”

The decision stands in contrast to the league’s public stance this week that Sunday’s regular-season game in France is safe to play and safe for fans to attend. The NFL told OutKick that its own NFL Fan House event, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 46 Rue Cambon in Paris, remains unchanged. “It’s happening,” a league spokesman said.

The Steelers’ move is not the only sign of unease surrounding the trip. Dani Watt, the wife of Steelers defensive end TJ Watt, has publicly questioned why the game has not been relocated given the unrest in the city.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that he plans to attend the game and that he has discussed the situation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio told OutKick that the American embassy in France believes the game “will be fine.”

Thousands of French and American football fans are expected to attend the league’s fan event in the days leading up to the game. NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly addressed security at the league’s Fall Meeting this week, saying: “There’s nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams’ security, the fans’ security — everybody involved with this game.”

Goodell echoed that confidence, saying: “We’ve made all the preparations. We’ve been in touch with all the appropriate authorities.”

The NFL’s first regular-season game in France is still set to go forward this Sunday, even as one of the participating teams has scaled back its own presence in the city.