Work halted after noose found at site of new Tennessee football stadium
'The MNPD is aware and investigating this situation,' Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Brooke Reese said in an email Saturday.
The Tennessee Builders Alliance, which is overseeing construction of the 60,000-seat stadium, said in a statement that it suspended work at the site after the discovery of the 'racist and hateful' symbol.
'We are outraged and deeply saddened by this act,' the group said in a statement. 'We are working in close partnership with our client, trade partners, and unions to ensure every worker understands that racism and hate have no place here. Everyone deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and treated with respect and dignity.'
The Tennessee Builders Alliance said its workers will be required to undergo additional antibias training. The group also said it launched a separate investigation into the incident and is offering a reward for information leading to the identification of the person responsible.
The state broke ground on a new Nissan Stadium in February 2024. Construction is expected to finish in 2027, at which point it will replace the Titans' current home field, which is also called Nissan Stadium. The 1.8 million-square-foot facility is expected to cost $2.1 billion and has received $1.2 billion in public funding.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell called the discovery of the noose 'very concerning.'
'I appreciate that the Titans brought this incident forward immediately. We've taken some steps both in local policy and state policy in partnership with them to try to prevent hate incidents like this,' he said in a statement. 'There is an open investigation, and I look forward to seeing what that investigation finds.'
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