There is a growing concern that New Miami Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes, might not be ready in time for the regular season openers.
In the midst of stadium renovations, the timeline may be getting pushed back, which would greatly affect the Dolphins and Hurricanes. This news comes by way of Miami-based sports personality Hank Goldberg, via CBS Sports, who gives a grim report on the current situation.
“The official word from the Dolphins’ management is, ‘It’s gonna be tight,’” Goldberg said. “But they’re working round the clock to get it ready.”
If the crews working around the clock cannot get the stadium ready for games, then there will be logistical challenges to overcome, not to mention potential legal issues as well.
“The University of Miami is very concerned, because their home opener against Florida A&M will be played at FAU, and their Florida State game is scheduled for Oct. 8,” Goldberg added. “There are some who say the stadium may not be ready until November. The University of Miami doesn’t want to lose its home game against Florida State — that’s a big payday for them and they’re already looking into the prospect of having to move that game to Orlando. That’s huge money, and now you’re talking about a legal situation between them and the Dolphins that could arise.”
Goldberg also said that it’s a “real dicey situation” and compared what Miami could be dealing with to the situation the New Orleans Saints found themselves in after Hurricane Katrina.
Essentially, if the stadium isn’t ready until November, the Dolphins will have no home. They will have no way to reschedule or flip-flop games, being that their competition in late September and early October comes against non-divisional opponents.
For the sake of both these programs, we hope the renovations are completed on schedule. Otherwise, this could get very messy.