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Hurricane Ian forces NFL team to evacuate, relocate during Week 4

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Hurricane Ian is barreling down on the southeastern part of the US, and the major storm is expected to make landfall sometime on Thursday.

The storm is currently a category 3 hurricane coming off of the coast of Cuba. After hitting the Gulf of Mexico, Ian is projected to strengthen into a category 4 storm. Most models also have Ian tracking for landfall at or near Tampa Bay.

As a result of the storm, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the announcement Monday evening that the team will evacuate and relocate on Tuesday. Tampa Bay is also supposed to host the Kansas City Chiefs for Sunday Night Football this week.

As of right now, the team has not made a decision regarding the status and location of the Week 4 game, but that status remains up in the air.

The team will depart Tampa on Tuesday and relocate their football operations to Miami-Dade County. The Buccaneers are expected to practice at the Miami Dolphins’ Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Florida, starting on Wednesday, through the end of Week 4 preparations, if necessary. The Dolphins play at Cincinnati in Week Four and would be finished with their on-field preparations by Wednesday morning.

As of Monday afternoon, there have been no changes to the plans for Tampa Bay’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymonds James Stadium on Sunday night, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET. The NFL, in consultation with team and local officials, will continue to monitor the situation.

 

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.