Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s Office Leaves the Door Open for Taxpayer Funding of New Titans Stadium

Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s office left the door open on the issue of utilizing taxpayer funding for a new Titans stadium to replace Metro Nashville-owned Nissan Stadium in a comment issued to The Tennessee Star.

“The Mayor’s Office continues to work closely with Titans leadership to find a responsible stadium solution. The Titans are important to Nashville and we know that being here is important to the Titans. Planning is still very much underway, and we do not have new details to share at this time.”

WSMV reported on Tuesday that Cooper addressed the stadium issue at a public event, saying, “We’re not in the stadium business, you know, we’re in the educating kids business, we’re in a safer street and road business.” said the mayor. “The Titans have been a very good partner for Nashville and it’s fun to have them, but fundamentally, the city is not in the entertainment or stadium business itself.”

The Star reached out to Mayor Cooper’s office for further comment and clarification on his comments, asking the following questions:

1 – Do those comments reflect unequivocal opposition to the use of taxpayer funds in the construction of a new stadium? Or are there circumstances in which Mayor Cooper could support public funds being used?

2 – Does the mayor anticipate the Titans making a request for Metro Nashville to kick in funds to support the funding of a new stadium?

3 – Other than direct public funding, what measures, if any, is Mayor Cooper in favor of to support the Titans goal of building a new stadium?

The answer given by Cooper’s office left the door open to the use of taxpayer funds for the building of a new Titans stadium, as it did not not state opposition to the use of those funds.

Metro Nashville owns Nissan Stadium and the Titans have a 30-year lease which started in 1999.

The Star previously reported that former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen admitted in 1997 that direct economic impact benefits couldn’t justify taxpayer funding for a football stadium. Potential direct economic impact benefits to Nashville will likely be an argument made in favor of funding a new Titans stadium. Bredesen said at the time, “I can’t justify building a football stadium on direct economic impact. The professors who make a living pooh-poohing that are right.”

Nashville taxpayers footed a bill for Nissan Stadium which topped $144 million, along with a guarantee of $70 million in net sales of personal seat licenses.

It is unclear at this time if Nashvillians will wind up footing the bill for a new football stadium. Nissan Stadium cost over $137 million to construct in 1999 dollars. A new stadium is estimated to cost as much as $1.5 billion to build.

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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.