DENVER — Denver Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco -- yeah, that's still hard to say -- won't be the only notable new addition at Mile High Stadium when the Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
The north stairwell inside the stadium also has a new addition.
What's the big deal about the north stairwell?
It's where Broncos fan Jason Coy died after falling 60 feet after an October 2016 game.
The north stairwell is a direct exit from the stadium without having to do the switchbacks on the ramps.
Coy, who had been drinking, went over the right railing inside the enclosed stairwell and fell in the gap between the railing and the wall.
His family sued the Broncos, the Metropolitan Football Stadium District (essentially, metro area taxpayers who own the stadium) and the Stadium Management Company which runs the stadium day-to-day.
That lawsuit was settled out of court in February 2019.
The settlement was confidential. At the time of the settlement, the spokesman for the stadium district (us taxpayers who own the stadium) said that private funds were involved in the settlement, not taxpayer money. He said the lease that the Broncos signed to play at the stadium requires the team to provide insurance on game days on behalf of the stadium district.
The city confirmed that the stairwell was built to code.
In the two-and-a-half seasons since Coy fell, the gap between the rail and the wall remained. At least, until a few weeks ago.
The Stadium Management Company added grates that now cover the space between the railing and the wall. The grates appear to be able to prevent someone from falling, let alone, putting a few fingers through.
If the stairwell was up to code and it was good enough for fans in the two-and-a-half seasons since the fall, why was it altered prior to the Broncos' first home preseason game of 2019?
"Although the stadium met all building code safety requirements, we recently installed metal gratings in two north stairwells as an additional safety enhancement," the Stadium Management Company provided Next in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution."
9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson said that alterations made during a lawsuit generally can't be brought up in the case, but even he might advise a client not to make any changes until a lawsuit has been resolved.
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