Urgent: John Clayton May Not Be Able to Watch the Super Bowl
By Kyle Koster
With Super Bowl LV only 60-some hours away, we're entering that crucial timeframe where everyone shores up their plans, making sure each T is crossed and I dotted in the pursuit of being in front of a working television by game time. This year brings unique circumstance, as an overwhelming majority of people will be making the sensible, safe choice of watching from home.
But that doesn't mean there won't be challenges. Anyone with a cable package by now understands the helpless hell that is a carriage dispute. They can affect everyone equally. From a person who just wants to catch the halftime show to an actual, honest-to-goodness Pro Football Hall of Famer like John Clayton.
The longtime writer tweeted about his dire situation late Wednesday night.
I can't believe my wife and I can't watch the Super Bowl because Directv and Cox tv cant reach a deal for channel 7 in Seattle. I've been to 45 Super Bowls. Missing my first since 1983. Locast is has problems connecting. I'm in the Hall of Fame. Directv is shutting us out.
— John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) February 4, 2021
Allow us to add our voices to the already loud chorus decrying this injustice and demanding it be resolved by 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday. And not just on Clayton's behalf.
Yes, it'd be great if one of the greats were able to access The Big Game so he could share his thoughts on it. But he's representative of a whole swath of fans who are being shut out. After this past year, having the ability to watch the Super Bowl should be considered a basic human right.
Like the rest of you, we'll be on the edges of our seats awaiting an update on this situation. It feels as though we could all use a win. Clayton settling down in a big, comfortable chair to watch Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, at this point, qualifies.