NFL security chief Cathy Lanier said there have been 2,800 “threats, incidents and incursions” from drone activity at NFL games in 2023, up from 12 in 2017.
Amid a nationwide surge in allegations of suspicious drone activity, the NFL has once again called on Congress to ban unauthorized drones “from critical infrastructure and mass gatherings such as major sporting events,” i.e. i.e. specifically NFL games.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Cathy Lanier – the NFL’s senior vice president of security – repeated arguments made directly to Congress last week that more restrictions were needed.
“In recent years, an increasing number of drones have been flying over restricted airspace during NFL games,” she said. “As the nation’s attention is now focused on drones, we are once again calling on Congress to protect critical infrastructure and mass gatherings such as major sporting events. »
Lanier also pointed out that “unauthorized drone threats, incidents and incursions at NFL games have increased from a dozen in 2017 to more than 2,800 in 2023.” Last season, the AFC Championship in Baltimore was delayed due to drone activity, leading to criminal charges.
Lanier’s most recent statement comes a week after he spoke to Congress on the subject.
“Given the growing threat of drones in stadiums and sporting events, and the well-established and long-standing flight restrictions at games and events, Congress should act now to expand counter-drone authority to state and local law enforcement agencies for narrow, specific, and time-limited missions to protect TFR-sports stadiums when in effect,” she wrote.
Lanier concluded: “Now is the time to act to keep fans safe. Even in the final days of the 118th Congress, we urge you to take every step possible to begin protecting more of our fans from threats of illicit drone use.
These types of drone safety issues have been around for much longer than it seems. There was a drone-related fan death during a 1979 game at Shea Stadium, where a model airplane shaped like a lawnmower struck a fan who died a few days later.
