Texas Gov. Abbott tells NFL state is '100% Open,' should California put COVID restrictions on game

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has invited the NFL to host the Super Bowl in Texas next month, saying his state is "100% open," unlike California, where the game is slated to be played.

"Texas is 100% OPEN," Abbott tweeted Thursday night. "We would welcome the NFL & their fans to the Lone Star State."

The governor linked to an article that suggested NFL officials are considering alternate locations to host the game on Feb. 13, if it is not able to be played in the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The article, from Outkick.com, says that "the Cowboys and the league have reportedly had preliminary discussions about AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas serving as an emergency site to host the event, amid COVID-19 restrictions in California."

That report was later confirmed by a front office source at the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health maintains that it is doing everything it can to ensure the game will be played as scheduled in L.A.

"We are working closely with the NFL to welcome the Super Bowl to L.A. County ... while we cannot provide certainty for the future, we do not anticipate capacity limits at sporting event," the department told Yahoo Sports.

Last year's Super Bowl, held in Tampa, Florida, had a capacity cap of 25,000 fans. Both AT&T and SoFi Stadiums are able to accommodate about 100,000 fans.