Pittsburgh Steelers Forced To Suddenly Cancel Their Practice In Paris

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Everything is not going according to plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers while in Paris.

Earlier this week, the team canceled an official fan watch party due to recent civil unrest and street protests in the French capital. Despite that, Sunday’s historic regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France remains on schedule.

The event was scheduled to unfold over the weekend near the Bastille. An authorized march is scheduled to begin at Place de la Bastille on Saturday.

There have been no disruptions at NFL sites so far in the lead-up to Sunday’s contest. However, the Steelers were forced to make another cancellation this week, but it had nothing to do with riots.

Pittsburgh Steelers Cancel Paris Practice Due to Weather

The Pittsburgh Steelers canceled their scheduled Friday morning practice at the Stade de France. Consequently, this was due to high winds and rain from Storm Austen, which led to an indoor hotel walk-through.

This cancellation leaves their Saturday walk-through as their only workout in the country prior to kickoff. The team traveled overnight and landed in Paris Friday morning, expecting to go straight from the plane to the practice field. Instead, they were forced to go to the hotel, where they will receive bodywork and treatment and host a 30-minute practice.

“We had two plans coming in,” McCarthy told reporters in Paris.

“Just really wanted to acclimate the players after the long flight, just based off the communication with the weather and the reality of the timing too. We had to make the decision before we landed, just to put it together. But frankly, driving by, I wish we would’ve stopped. But this is part of our plan.”

While it was not raining in Paris during the interviews, there was a windstorm.

The Saints have been in town all week, acclimating and practicing in the country before the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored by 3.5 points against the New Orleans Saints for their Week 7 matchup in Paris. The ongoing riots and unrest are not expected to affect the game in any way, as local law enforcement is expected to have a heavy presence.