NFL memo recommends new security protocols in wake of NYC shooting

New York Times

a day ago

The NFL has released a memo recommending enhanced security measures at team and league facilities following a shooting last week at a New York City office tower that houses the league's headquarters.
The memo, sent to all NFL team owners and obtained by The Athletic on Friday, outlined three recommended changes to security protocols. They include:
'The Committee recognizes that these changes will affect day-to-day operations and require an investment of time, coordination, and resources,' the memo read. 'However, there is no higher priority than the safety and security of our players, coaches, staff, and everyone who works in and around our facilities.'
The recommendations come in response to the July 28 shooting in Midtown Manhattan. In the incident, authorities say Shane Tamura double-parked his BMW outside the building at 345 Park Ave., carried an assault rifle into the building and started shooting.
Four people were killed, including police officer Didarul Islam, and another was wounded before Tamura took his own life, police said. New York Mayor Eric Adams said investigators believe Tamura was trying to reach the NFL offices but took the wrong elevator.
According to The New York Times, Tamura left a three-page note in his wallet criticizing the NFL for concealing the dangers of football. Adams said the note referenced CTE, a degenerative brain disease connected to repeated blows to the head that can only be diagnosed through an autopsy.
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'The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and (a claim that) he was an ex-NFL player,' Adams said in an interview with CNN. 'Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL.'
Tamura, who was 27 at the time of the shooting, played high school football in California but did not play in college or professionally.
According to Friday's memo, NFL teams and stadium security have already been sent the recommended changes. The protocols will be reviewed on Aug. 26 at a special league meeting and will include a full plan for the implementation of the recommendations.
'In moments like these, we are reminded that safety is not a background function. It is foundational,' the memo read.
(Top photo of people entering 345 Park Avenue after the building partially reopened earlier this week: Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)
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