T.J. Watt’s Wife Calls Out NFL for Proceeding with Paris Game Despite Riots: ‘Tell Me How This Makes Sense?’

Dani Watt, wife of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, challenged the NFL’s decision to keep Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints in France on the schedule after protests over school conditions and living costs led to violence, fires, and looting.

Watt, a retired professional soccer player, shared a CBS Pittsburgh headline on her Instagram Story on Monday reporting that the league intended to proceed with the matchup despite the unrest.

“Tell me how this makes sense???” she wrote, according to the New York Post.

The Steelers and Saints are scheduled to play October 25 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris. It will be the NFL’s first regular-season game in France, at a stadium that hosted events during the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

Her post came as the NFL and French authorities prepared for the game while facing the possibility of more demonstrations before kickoff.

The league said Tuesday that it would put additional security measures in place. NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said league personnel had been in Paris for 10 days and were working with local officials. He also said he was confident staging the game would not divert needed security resources from the surrounding community, Reuters reported.

French authorities were preparing a broader security operation ahead of further protests planned for Saturday, the day before the game. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said troops would support police following the previous weekend’s violence.

The NFL had already told both teams that its preparations were continuing and that the unrest had not affected its facilities.

“We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters,” the league said in a statement.

The statement, also reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, said the league was giving the Steelers and Saints regular updates.

“There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites,” it said.

New Orleans offered a similar assessment. Saints executive Greg Bensel said the team supported the league’s decision and was continuing its preparations for Sunday.

“We concur with the NFL’s statement and are planning to play the game,” Bensel said. “In addition to working closely with the NFL, we have also maintained daily security updates with our security partners in France.”

Some social media users criticized the NFL’s decision to proceed with the Paris game, accusing the league of putting revenue ahead of player safety.

Paris saw looting, fires, and clashes with police during October 17 demonstrations over living costs and education funding, Breitbart News reported. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said authorities had arrested 1,200 people nationwide and that at least 150 police officers and gendarmes had been injured.

Masked demonstrators threw fireworks and other objects at officers, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, according to another Breitbart report. The demonstrations expanded a student protest movement that began in September, with labor unions joining demands for higher wages, lower prices, and better public services.