Metro Council And Titans Now At Odds On Stadium Language

NASHVILLE - It seems as though a new downtown stadium for Nashville and the Tennessee Titans will come down to a fight after all.

In an article we first addressed on February 16, opposition has existed within the Metro Nashville City Council to the new stadium project.

According to a story from the Nashville Business Journal, Metro Council's East Bank Stadium Committee chairman Bob Mendes, shared concerns and opposition to the plan in a memo dated Feb.14th.

Since then, the stadium talks have continued to progress, despite the objections of Mendes. However, last week, with the council set to vote on the final reading of the language, council member Brandon Taylor proposed an amendment to the language that changes "the structure of ticket fee or tax imposed on all non-NFL events, potentially impacting the bottom lines of the Titans, major college sports leagues, promoters and artists most likely to benefit from a new stadium, according to a report by the Tennessee Lookout.

“It puts money right back into the city of Nashville to pave roads, fix potholes and fund transit,” Taylor told the Lookout. “Some people will never set foot in the stadium, so I wanted to ensure all of Nashville gets some benefits.”

Under the original deal, each ticket for events like concerts and college sports would come with a $3 flat fee, with the revenue directed into a fund the Titans could use on stadium renovations to the new facility.

Taylor’s proposal changed that payment to a 3% fee — which would be incrementally raised to a maximum of 10% over seven years — with the first $3 of that percentage going to the renovation fund and the rest to the city’s general fund.

What last week looked like a formality now seems to have turned into a battle, with the council narrowly approving the measure by a 19-18 vote.

Taylor's amendment has drawn opposition from the Titans and various other major companies in the Nashville area, such as Live Nation and Big Machine Records, who could be part of concerts that would potentially be held in the new facility.

While this does not mean that the deal is in trouble, this could impact the start date of construction and the projected opening date of 2027.

Titans Related Stories Schools

That Produce The Most First-Round Picks Entering The 2023 NFL Draft: Which schools have produced the most first-round picks in the modern era (1967-2022) of the NFL Draft? CLICK HERE

NFL Releases Names Of Players Attending Draft: Seventeen players are set to be in Kansas City for the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft. CLICK HERE

Is Ran Carthon Really This Good At Playing The Game: The Titans GM has the rumor mill spinning, but what's real, and what's not? CLICK HERE