The police officers working security at NFL games are almost certainly NOT acting as on-duty officers. They are probably working in an off-duty status under a contract with the stadium management, under a deal that allows them to wear their on-duty uniforms, carry their weapons, and perform arrests, etc. when necessary.
This is a common thing when venues like stadiums, etc, regularly have to deal with troublesome individuals and issues. I worked regular unarmed security at an upscale office/shopping development that eventually had to supplement our unarmed guys with uniformed off-duty police officers to deal with our worst issues.
(The development had two very popular bars, catering to over-privileged, over-moneyed young pricks who thought there were no consequences to anything they did; the bars also routinely over-served their customers, so drunks-with-attitude were endemic. AND we had “Taxi Wars” going on, with drivers from different companies cutting each other off, shouting matches, fights, and in one instance a driver backing his cab into another driver standing behind him. Oh, fun days, those were…)
So, if the off-duty officers at the stadium refuse to do their jobs, they won’t get fired from their official job. They probably won’t even get fired from their off-duty job, but (most likely scenario) be eventually reassigned to some other venue or location. (That depends on who stadium management negotiated with to provide the off-duty officers; if it was the police union, there’ll probably be some foot-dragging and alpha-gorilla chest-beating involved before both sides make an agreement.)
Also, police officers who do off-duty security as a second job make a LOT of money at it. Many officers who’ve done it regularly tend to look at that extra income as part of “regular income”, not supplemental income. They may threaten to, essentially, go on strike, but if it comes down to reporting for work or not getting paid, a lot will grit their teeth, take the money and do that extra work.
