Alcohol sales will be banned at next Monday night's New York Jets-New England Patriots game at Giants Stadium - a move apparently in response to the numerous alcohol-fueled incidents at the Jets-New Orleans Saints contest the night of Nov. 27.
Jets spokesman Ron Colangelo called the move "a precautionary measure."
"It's for the safety of our fans, so that they can have a comfortable environment at a time when the holiday season can get very festive," Colangelo said.
Luxury suite holders got a heads-up on the plan last week in an e-mail from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
"Please be advised that no alcohol, including beer and wine, will be sold once the gates open that evening," reads the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Record. "However, as a suite member, you have the privilege of preordering. All orders must be in advance, and there will be no exceptions once the gates are open. Please inform your guests that reorders will not be permitted that evening. Thank you for your cooperation."
The e-mail was signed by Arleen Marino, director of stadium and arena suites for the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
Suite members preorder various forms of alcohol before every event. The difference this time is that reordering is not an option.
Sports authority President George Zoffinger said he had no comment on the policy.
Earlier this year, Zoffinger vowed to crack down on the problem of football fans drinking to excess.
In January, a jury found a drunken New York Giants fan and Aramark, the stadium beer vendor, liable for $135 million in damages for serious injuries suffered by a 7-year-old Cliffside Park girl in a 1999 auto collision. The fan, Daniel Lanzaro, left Antonia Verni paralyzed from the neck down after he crashed his car into the Verni family's vehicle several hours after he had been drinking at a Giants-Saints game.
Police made nine arrests during and after the Nov. 27 Jets-Saints game. Two fans were stabbed outside a men's room during a second-half altercation, and a state trooper broke a leg while ejecting another fan for allegedly throwing a beer bottle.
Stadium operators traditionally face more alcohol-related incidents at evening games, because fans have many extra hours to drink as they tailgate in the parking lot beforehand. In addition, the Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention, shifting the focus from the field to the beer line for some fans.
This is not the first time Giants Stadium has been beer-free. The sports authority banned beer sales at occasional night games in 1989 after fires were set and numerous arrests made during a Monday night Jets-Buffalo Bills game. Colangelo said a beer ban has been in effect as recently as 2001 for a night game at the Meadowlands.
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