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Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville agree to spend $1.4B on stadium
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | The Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville have agreed to a $1.4 billion “stadium of the future” that would keep the franchise in one of the NFL’s smallest markets for another 30 years.
The proposal calls for each side to contribute $625 million to the $1.25 billion project. Jacksonville, which won’t levy any new taxes to pay for the rebuild, would chip in another $150 million to get EverBank Stadium ready for construction in 2026.
The plan was presented at a city council meeting Tuesday. Councilmembers are expected to vote on it in late June, with a simple majority of the 19 members needed to pass. It would then advance to the NFL owners meeting in October, where 24 of 32 votes would be needed for final approval.
“We wouldn’t be proposing it or pushing it if we didn’t have a certain level of confidence that this deal would be approved,” Jaguars team president Mark Lamping said.
Construction would begin following the 2025 season. The Jaguars would play in front of a reduced capacity in 2026 and host home games in either Gainesville or Orlando the following year. Daytona Beach International Speedway had been under consideration but has since been eliminated.
The proposal includes a 30-year lease as well as agreements that address the franchise’s future in London and a non-relocation clause. Under the new lease, the Jaguars would play all preseason and postseason games in Jacksonville and would continue to play one home game a year in London, likely at Wembley Stadium.
The Jags could play one additional home game every four years overseas, but only if the NFL dictates and only during seasons in which the Jaguars have nine home games; Jacksonville owns global marketing rights in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
“It is with great pride that we’re an NFL city,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said. “It means a lot to this community. It’s a rallying point for Jacksonville. And while nobody wants to spend a lot of money, the truth is this was a binary choice: We could build this stadium or we could lose our team. And that’s not going to happen on my watch. This is something that’s incredibly important to Jacksonville.”
The sides expect the revamped stadium to lead to more high-profile events such as U.S. soccer matches and concerts.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan agreed to take on all construction cost overruns, assume day-to-day operations of the stadium and take on the majority of game-day expenses moving forward.
The 63,000-seat, open-air stadium includes a translucent covering that’s the equivalent of “wearing shades in the sun,” Lamping said. It’s expected to lower outside temperatures by 15 degrees.
The stadium plan also includes 140% more concourse space, 190 new points of sale, 16 new escaladers, 12 new elevators and 12 new restrooms.
Capacity could be expanded to 71,500 to accommodate the annual Florida-Georgia rivalry, the Gator Bowl, a College Football Playoff game or the Final Four. Pools and a party deck would remain in the north end zone.
The city and the Jaguars still hope to add substantial development to the surrounding area, which is expected to include a University of Florida satellite campus that would bring in 10,000 graduate students. Deegan called the surrounding area critical to the development of the downtown area.
The Jaguars have been in the bottom quartile of the league in revenue for decades and have played annually in London since 2013 to help boost their bottom line. The team’s lease runs through 2029, leaving little room for prolonged negotiations and/or do-overs.
The city wants to finance its portion by moving $600 million from a capital improvement plan and using revenue from an existing, half-penny sales tax to fund the build in a pay-as-you-go campaign. The city says it would save $1.5 billion in debt-services fees over the life of the lease.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, pleads not guilty
LOS ANGELES | The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to bank and tax fraud, a formality ahead of a plea deal he’s negotiated with federal prosecutors in a wide-ranging sports betting case.
Prosecutors say Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports gambling debts during a yearslong scheme, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, and exploited his personal and professional relationship with the two-way player. Mizuhara signed a plea agreement that detailed the allegations on May 5, and prosecutors announced it several days later.
During his arraignment Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth asked Mizuhara to enter a plea to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. The expected not-guilty plea was a procedural step as the case moves forward, even though he has already agreed to the plea deal.
Defense attorney Michael G. Freedman said Mizuhara planned to plead guilty in the future. In the hallway before the hearing, Freedman said they would not comment Tuesday.
Members of the media were not allowed inside the main courtroom and instead were seated in an audio-only overflow room. The Associated Press and other outlets filed a complaint with the court clerk and chief district judge.
Mizuhara only spoke to answer the judge’s questions, with responses like “yes, ma’am” when asked whether he understood the proceedings.
There was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
Mizuhara’s plea agreement says he will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.
Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.
He is free on an unsecured $25,000 bond, colloquially known as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to put up any cash or collateral to be freed. If he violates the bond conditions — which include a requirement to undergo gambling addiction treatment — he will be on the hook for $25,000.
The judge set a status conference for June 14.
The Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the prosecution in late March, prompting the Dodgers to fire the interpreter and the MLB to open its own investigation.
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Ohtani has sought to focus on the field as the case winds through the courts. Hours after his ex-interpreter first appeared in court in April, he hit his 175th home run in MLB — tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japan-born player — during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.
NBA fines Gobert
$75,000 for making another money gesture
NEW YORK | Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for another “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” that suggested a lack of integrity with the league and its game officials.
Gobert glanced down and rubbed both thumbs together with his fingers as he walked up the court in frustration over a foul call in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s loss to Denver in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday. Gobert had just been whistled for an offensive foul when the TNT broadcast showed him making the money-counting sign to himself.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said the fine “took into account Gobert’s history of improper conduct toward game officials.”
Two months ago during a regular season game at Cleveland, Gobert was called for a technical after picking up his sixth foul for making the money-counting gesture. One of the officials saw the taunt that time, and Gobert was later fined $100,000.
After that game, Gobert said he was concerned about the rise of betting and believes gambling is having a detrimental impact on outcomes, implicitly accusing officials of being on the take.
“I’ll be the bad guy,” Gobert said then. “I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger.”
The officiating crew on Sunday didn’t appear to notice his less-pronounced version, but the league did.
Serena Williams to
host The ESPYs in July
LOS ANGELES | Serena Williams is returning to the sports spotlight to host The ESPYS in July.
The retired 23-time major tournament winner will be the fourth woman to helm the show honoring the past year’s achievements, athletes and moments. The ESPYS will air July 11 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Russell Wilson co-hosted the 2020 show, which was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Danica Patrick was the first woman to host solo in 2018, shortly after she retired from auto racing.
“This is a dream come true for me, and something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” Williams said in a statement Tuesday. “It has been a sensational year for sports and an unprecedented one for female athletes. I can’t wait to celebrate everyone onstage in July.”
Williams won 12 ESPYS during her tennis career.
The ESPYS will follow the July 10 premiere of “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” an eight-part series chronicling her career that airs on ESPN+.
Williams retired after the 2022 U.S. Open and has since devoted her time to such pursuits as a makeup line that debuted in April and a venture capital firm that invests in women and founders of color in early-stage companies. She gave birth to her second daughter last August.
ESPN announces Jason Kelce’s hiring, will be part of the MNF pregame show
NEW YORK | Jason Kelce is officially a member of ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” team.
ESPN announced Kelce had signed a multiyear agreement on Tuesday during a presentation to advertisers in New York. He will also be a part of ESPN’s Super Bowl week coverage.
Kelce will replace Robert Griffin III, who will continue with the network as a college football analyst. Scott Van Pelt became the host of the “Monday Night Football” pregame show last season with Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark as the other analysts.
“Monday Night Football’s” regular-season opener will be on Sept. 9, when the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers host Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
Kelce played 13 years for the Eagles and was the most sought-after former player by the networks for the upcoming season. He participated in last year’s NFL Broadcasting and Media Workshop, which used to be known as the “Broadcast Bootcamp.”
Kelce is expected to continue doing his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
—From AP reports
