Atlanta roof not ready

ATLANTA (AP) — The retractable roof for the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be closed when the facility debuts for an Atlanta Falcons preseason game next month.

There's no date set on when the roof will be open for an event, even though the roof petals were open on Tuesday when Falcons and MLS Atlanta United officials led a media tour of the stadium.

Issues with the roof forced delays in the opening of the stadium. Those delays pushed back some fine-tuning in the mechanism of the roof.

“The roof will be in closed position for our opening events while some remaining work to fully automate the retractable portion of the roof is completed,” Steve Cannon, chief executive officer of Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank's AMB Group, told The Associated Press.

That final work on the roof can't be done at the same time other work is being completed.

Cannon said games for the Falcons and Atlanta United are expected to be played with the roof open “later this fall.”

OXNARD, Calif. — Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Lucky Whitehead's identity was falsely used in a shoplifting arrest, police in his home state of Virginia said Tuesday.

Prince William County police said they were confident the man charged in a case involving $40 worth of stolen food and drink from a convenience store in June wasn't Whitehead. The Cowboys released him Monday after reports that he was arrested and subsequently cited for missing a court hearing.

Whitehead's agent, Dave Rich, contended that his client wasn't in Virginia at the time of the reported arrest. Police said they are seeking the person who used the identity of Whitehead, whose given name is Rodney Darnell Whitehead Jr.

Police said the person arrested June