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Report: Bucs stadium and facilities in Tampa avoided major damage from Hurricane Milton | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors
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Report: Bucs stadium and facilities in Tampa avoided major damage from Hurricane Milton | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 08: A general view of the stadium before the game between the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' stadium and practice facilities “sustained only cosmetic damage” following landfall from Hurricane Milton.

Rapoport noted that “site investigations are still ongoing.”

Videos posted on social media appeared to show flooding on the field at Raymond James Stadium on Wednesday.

Yahoo Sports @YahooSports

It was a scary scene at Raymond James Stadium as Hurricane Milton rolled through.
(via Draco214x/TT)
pic.twitter.com/JAKbNcjdFT

Ryan Bass @Ry_Bass

Now that the sun has risen, here's a 360-degree view of the damage Hurricane Milton caused to the roof of Tropicana Field and inside the ballpark. Absolutely heartbreaking 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZCtPHv6rE9

The damage could impact the Rays in the 2025 season. As Sampson and Urso report, “There is no drainage system for the field, so games could not be played without a roof.”

In the short term, there could also be further damage to Tropicana Field caused by rain impacting “dugouts, team equipment rooms and service areas,” Sampson and Urso noted.

The Buccaneers, who have played at Raymond James Stadium since 1998, have a lease that expires in 2028, according to Rick Stroud Tampa Bay Times.

In July, Stroud theorized that the stadium might need to make “significant upgrades” to convince the Bucs to remain tenants in Tampa Bay. Rapoport's reports of relatively limited storm damage will be a relief as management considers a potential new deal with the team.

The Buccaneers' next home game is scheduled for Monday, October 21st against the Baltimore Ravens. It remains to be seen whether the “cosmetic damage” will result in this appointment being brought forward Monday Night Football Matchup.

According to Terry Spencer and Kate Payne of the Associated Press, Hurricane Milton, which came less than two weeks after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, left three million Floridians without power and caused 150 tornadoes and several deaths. The extent of the damage caused by the storm is still being determined.

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