New NFL security policies “banning many types of bags debuted Thursday to complaints” in NFL cities, but Bank of America Stadium on Friday was “more lax with the new rules” at the Bears-Panthers preseason game, according to Jacob Feldman of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Many fans with purses and camera cases that are prohibited were “allowed in with the items this time and given a flier on what the rules are.” Panthers PR Dir Charlie Dayton said that the team “inspected items on a case-by-case basis, letting in items on the borderline” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/10). Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, Jill Disis reports several fans attending Bills-Colts yesterday who "hoped to get into the game with backpacks or purses were denied." Many of these fans indicated that they "didn't hear of the rule change, or thought their bags would be small enough." The Colts did not have an "official count of how many people were stopped for having the wrong bags." However, Colts VP/Ticket Operations & Guest Services Larry Hall said that the number of "non-compliant bags was 'minimal'" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/12). In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter wrote Georgia Dome officials “held ‘hundreds’ of purses for fans” during Bengals-Falcons Thursday night. Despite “widespread publicity since the new policy was announced” by the NFL in June, several Falcons fans “clearly didn’t get the memo.” Georgia Dome Communications & PR Specialist Jason Kirksey said, “The biggest thing was the awareness. There were still some people that showed up at the gates that weren’t aware of the rule.” Ledbetter noted fans “lined up at bag check stations before and after the game,” but some fans “took to twitter to call the policy sexist” (AJC.com, 8/9).
