What to Know
- Both the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes deny they have made any plans to move home games from New Miami Stadium due to construction.
With games scheduled to be played in less than two months at what is now called New Miami Stadium, concern has reportedly grown that the renovations may not be completed in time for the 2016 season.
A story on InsidetheU.com quotes Miami sports personality Hank Goldberg telling CBS Sports that the deadline is "going to be tight" for everything to be finished. He also is quoted as saying the Miami Hurricanes, who play at the stadium with the Miami Dolphins, are exploring the idea of moving games scheduled to other locations, including Orlando.
UM athletics director Blake James issued a statement denying that the first game of the season, scheduled for September 3rd against Florida A&M, will be moved to Boca Raton and played at the on-campus stadium of Florida Atlantic University. James did, however, say they are aware things may change and do have contingency plans in place.
Bill Senn, the senior vice president of stadium renovation for the Miami Dolphins, also issued a statement calling a report that the team won’t play a home game until at least November "incorrect." Senn said the team still expects to be ready for their preseason finale on September 1st.
"Getting a project of this scale done in this timeframe is unprecedented and the contractor is working diligently on a 24/7 basis to complete the canopy structure," Senn's statement said.
The Dolphins already moved their August 25th preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons to Orlando partly due to concerns over the construction timetable. After the schedule game the following week, the Dolphins do not have a home game schedule until September 25th.
Local
The Hurricanes have home games scheduled for both September 3rd and 10th before playing on the road until their October 8th showdown against rival Florida State. While the first two games may be moved to a smaller stadium, such as Marlins Park or FAU Stadium, Goldberg says the game with the Seminoles could be moved to Orlando to accommodate the large crowd that comes with the game.
If the Hurricanes do have to move some or all of their scheduled home games during the 2016 season, they could possibly take legal action against the Dolphins for loss of revenue, something that could come up in a year they are hosting their biggest rival in what would likely be their only sellout of the season.
