The Tamp Bay Sports Authority has let the NFL know that it has all the necessary resources to host the Sunday night game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium, according to Bucs longtime reporter Rick Stroud.
Stroud says "It's up to the league now to make the final decision."
The NFL confirmed Wednesday that if the game were to be moved due to Hurricane Ian, it would be played Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which is vacant on Sunday because the Vikings are in London to play the Saints.
Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor tweeted Thursday that city officials are "doing our best to keep the [Buccaneers] game here Sunday."
Fears earlier this week were that Ian could bring devastating storm surge to Tampa Bay, but the storm tracked further south, instead causing catastrophic damage from south of Sarasota to Fort Myers and Naples. Tampa dodged the bullet by about 50 miles.
On Wednesday, the City of Minneapolis confirmed to Bring Me The Sports that "initial discussions" were held in the event that the game was moved to U.S. Bank Stadium.
Meanwhile, the scope of the damage in Florida from Hurricane Ian is coming to light Thursday. On "Good Morning America," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said "I definitely know fatalities are in the hundreds," in addition to "thousands of people that are waiting to be rescued."
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