It's not an official NFL season until something malfunctions at FedEx Field.
After Sunday's game between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders in Landover, Md., the stadium's main water heater failed. That forced players into the unenviable position of either taking an ice-cold shower, or leaving the stadium without rinsing off.
“We had an equipment failure in the main water heater that provides hot water to the field-level locker rooms,” a Commanders spokesperson said in a statement. “We can’t resolve the matter without completely shutting off the water to the stadium, which is why it couldn’t be repaired in-game.”
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The situation made a bad day even worse for the Commanders, who lost 31-19 to the Giants in what was expected to be a winnable game.
The Giants, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, opted for cold showers before heading back home.
This is just the latest incident at FedEx Field in recent years. Back in September 2021, an unidentified liquid spewed on fans during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Later, during the same season in January 2022, a railing collapsed and fans fell into the tunnel -- almost taking out Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the process.
New Commanders owner Josh Harris purchased the stadium as part of the $6.05 billion franchise sale in July. Shortly after buying the team, Harris invested $40 million to improve the infrastructure of FedEx Field and its fan experience.
Apparently, not enough of that money went into the plumbing system.