Hurricanes
ing, “They’re running out of time. They want to come to Miami. But it has to work for them, too. If they can’t get it done here, they may have to go somewhere else.’’
The rest of the principals, including Shalala, would not comment on what was discussed, details of the proposed plan, or what comes next.
“There’s really nothing to say at this point,’’ Beckham said in the parking lot, adding, “Donna was amazing, but we really can’t talk about anything now.’’
Gimenez said that Beckham “didn’t really say very much” during their meeting, and that most of the talking was done by Marcelo Claure, Beckham’s business partner, and Garber.
“There’s no certaint y that the Universit y of Miami is going forward at this time,” Gimenez said. “It’s not going to be a year or two. They [Beckham’s group] need to make a decision fairly quickly on a site.”
Gimenez and Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado embraced a new push by Beckham for a Miami stadium, saying a central role by UM would be helpful as the school seeks a new home for its football games.
“I think that it’s a good idea — and it’s something I brought up to the Beckham group a long time ago — that maybe you should be partnering up with the University of Miami. Because I know the University of Miami has wanted to come back closer to their campus,” Gimenez told reporters after a boating-safet y news conference on Friday morning.
Regalado said that he was briefed by Shalala and Claure, and that they only talked about a combined football and soccer stadium next to Marlins Park, where UM used to play football at the old Orange Bowl stadium. Regalado, a top Gimenez rival, also was enthusiastic about the idea of UM leaving Sun Life Stadium to play at its old home.
“I would endorse the concept of the Canes and Beckham playing at the Orange Bowl,” he said during a telephone interview from Orlando, where he was vacationing with family.
The timing of the visit by Beckham brought some wrinkles. Shalala has only one more week on the job before taking over the Clinton Foundation in New York. And while UM never held the kind of high-profile meeting held Friday, last year there was no secret about the school’s interest in a Beckham stadium allowing UM football to move to downtown Miami.
Beckham’s bids for a downtown waterfront location failed, and now a stadium next to Marlins Park is considered the preferred choice by Beckham’s group and the universit y.
Even with political support, UM and Beckham face a significant hurdle: the Miami Dolphins. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has signaled his intent to hold the Hurricanes to the remaining 17 years on their lease at the stadium.