Officials: Allegiant Stadium in Vegas almost complete
Officials declared “substantial completion” of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas after nearly 1,000 days were spent building the $2 billion home for the NFL’s relocated Raiders.
Friday has been the target date for completion since ground was broken in November 2017 for the 65,000-seat domed stadium just off the Las Vegas Strip.
“We still have to finish the job,” Raiders team owner Mark Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He referred to a “punch list” of items still to be done.
Finishing touches in coming weeks wouldn’t have prevented the stadium from hosting events, but officials acknowledge the coronavirus pandemic is affecting scheduling.
The first planned stadium event, a sold-out Garth Brooks concert, was rescheduled from Aug. 22 to Feb. 27 in a bid to prevent spread of the virus.
The first Raiders regular-season game after moving from Oakland is a scheduled Monday night matchup Sept. 21 against the New Orleans Saints.
The stadium also will host UNLV football, instead of aging Sam Boyd Stadium across town. The first Rebels game at Allegiant Stadium is scheduled Oct. 10 against Wyoming, although the school is trying to arrange an Aug. 29 game against TCU.
Clark County officials last week issued a temporary occupancy certificate valid until Aug. 22.
“I am pleased to see the stadium reach the substantial completion date, a major milestone in any construction project,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak, who as chairman of the Clark County Commission in 2016 played a key role in the stadium approval process.
“This stadium has already proved to be a great thing for this community, including the creation of many jobs,” he said.
Thousands of construction workers spent 993 days building the facility, and officials project thousands more jobs will be created. The Review-Journal reported the team and its partners are hiring for 4,500 part-time positions. ANTONIO BROWN SUS
PENDED 8 GAMES BY NFL >> The NFL suspended wide receiver Antonio Brown for the first eight regular-season games of the 2020 season.
Brown, who does not have a contract with any team, was suspended under the league’s personal conduct policy.
Brown, who played one game last season for the Patriots before being released, can be signed by any team and would be eligible to participate in all of his club’s preseason activities. The suspension would take effect when teams make their final cuts on Sept. 5.
As part of the discipline, Brown was directed to continue his program of counseling and treatment. He also was advised that any future violation of the personal conduct policy will “likely result in more significant discipline.”
The 32-year-old Brown established himself as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers during his nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, being named to the AllPro team four times and selected for seven Pro Bowls.
He was traded to Oakland last year, but never played in a regular-season game for the Raiders after he was released following several off-field incidents. NO. 1 PICK BURROW HAPPY TO
BE ON FIELD FOR BENGALS >> After waiting a few extra months to get on the practice field for the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time, No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow had a little extra energy.
“Everyone’s super anxious to have pads on and start getting some live reps,” Burrow said Friday. “We had our first walkthrough today. Everyone was fired up for that. I think I was thrown in a little harder than I should have been in a walkthrough, but it felt good to be out there.”
The Bengals are also happy to have Burrow, hoping their search for the franchise quarterback who can end the NFL’s longest active drought without a playoff win is complete.
It’s a tall task for the Heisman Trophy winner who grew up a few hours away in Athens, Ohio. The Bengals last won a playoff game following the 1990 season.
Since then, they have lost the third-most regular-season games in the NFL, gone through 18 starting quarterbacks and had just seven winning seasons.
BILLS GUARD FELICIANO OUT
WITH TORN PECTORAL MUSCLE >> Buffalo Bills starting right guard Jon Feliciano is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
The team did not reveal when or how Feliciano was hurt in making the announcement.