Super Bowl awarded to Tampa for 2021

NFL owners on Wednesday officially awarded Super Bowl LV in 2021 to Tampa, according to Buccaneers.com, website of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In May, it was announced that Tampa had been offered the Super Bowl on the condition that the city meet certain requirements related to its bid. With Wednesday’s announcement during the NFL owners meeting in New York, the city now turns its focus to preparing to host the league’s premier event for the fifth time.

“The final approval of Super Bowl LV is a great source of pride for the Glazer family, the Buccaneers organization and the entire Tampa Bay region,” Buccaneers Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “We have made substantial improvements in recent years to ensure that Raymond James Stadium could ultimately host the game for a third time and we appreciate that our fellow owners have recognized the stadium and our area’s long and distinguished history as a world-class host city.”

Tampa — which trails only Miami, New Orleans and Los Angeles in the total number of Super Bowls hosted — has been the site of the game in 1984, 1991, 2001 and 2009. This year’s Super Bowl will be held in Minnesota, followed by Atlanta, Miami and then Tampa.

Tampa hosted the College Football National Championship game in January. Raymond James Stadium is in the midst of a four-phase, $150 million renovation that will be completed by the start of the 2018 NFL season.

Goodell: NFL not changing its national anthem policy

In the face of fan unrest and accusations from the president about the league being unpatriotic, the NFL is not changing its national anthem policy to require players to stand.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and several owners said Wednesday at the league’s fall meetings that altering the policy language from “should stand” to “must stand” was not discussed.

New York Giants owner John Mara noted that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “spoke at length” to the other owners about the anthem issue. Jones has said any Dallas player who doesn’t stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” would not be playing.

Goodell reiterated that the league and its 32 clubs “believe everyone should stand for the national anthem. It’s an important part of our policy and the game. It’s important to honor our flag and our country and I think our fans expect that.”

Asked about any owners who threatened discipline for players who didn’t stand, Goodell said the owners didn’t discuss it.

“It wasn’t necessary,” he said. “We had a real focus on making sure all of our teams understood the kind of dialogue that took place and the kind of things that they were interested in getting support.”

Reminded that President Donald Trump tweeted again Wednesday about the demonstrations during the anthem, Goodell said there was nothing unpatriotic about his league.

“Everyone feels strongly about our country and have pride,” he said, adding the NFL is “not afraid of tough conversations.

“What we are trying to stay out of is politics.”

Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers aren’t saying much about injured quarterback Jameis Winston’s status for this week’s game against Buffalo. As expected, the third-year pro did not throw in practice because of a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. If he can’t play this week, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will start for the Bucs.

Draft: The 2018 NFL Draft will be held from April 28-30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. It will be the first time the draft will take place inside an NFL stadium.

Indianapolis: Quarterback Andrew Luck will not practice this week after developing soreness in his throwing shoulder. He returned to practice two weeks ago and amped his workouts last week.

Jacksonville: Rookie running back Leonard Fournette sat out practice while recovering from a sprained right ankle. He rolled his ankle late in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Fournette ranks second in the NFL with 596 yards rushing. He tops the league with six touchdowns on the ground.

Oakland: Linebacker NaVorro Bowman will “probably” play Thursday night against Kansas City, coach Jack Del Rio said with a smirk. Bowman signed with Oakland on Monday after San Francisco released him last week.

Cleveland: DeShone Kizer, the second-round pick from Notre Dame who threw a league-high nine interceptions in his first five games, will start at quarterback Sunday against Tennessee. The Browns (0-6) demoted an ineffective Kizer last week in favor of Kevin Hogan.

Philadelphia: Defensive end Chris Long is donating the rest of his year’s salary to increase educational equality. He’s already gave his first six game checks to provide two scholarships for students in Charlottesville, Virginia. Now, he’s giving the rest of his pay to launch the Pledge 10 for Tomorrow campaign.

Seattle: Defensive end Cliff Avril is expected to be placed on injured reserve by the Seahawks as he continues to deal with a neck injury. Avril was injured three weeks ago in a game against Indianapolis.

San Francisco: The 49ers are handing the quarterback duties over to rookie C.J. Beathard after losing the first six games of the season. His performance against Dallas could determine whether the Niners will rebuild around him or target another quarterback in the offseason.

N.Y. Giants: Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie returned to the team and said he accepts the blame for a blowup with coach Ben McAdoo that led to a one-game suspension.

Washington: The team put kicker Dustin Hopkins on injured reserve with a strained hip muscle and signed free-agent Nick Rose, whose NFL debut will come Monday night against the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles. Rose finished his college career at Texas in 2015. He made 27 of 38 field goals and 71 of 74 extra points for the Longhorns.

N.Y. Jets: Running back Bilal Powell, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson and wide receiver Robby Anderson all sat out practice with injuries. They are uncertain to play at Miami on Sunday.

LA Rams: Robert Woods has one missing statistic this season: A touchdown. Woods leads the Los Angeles Rams in catches and receiving yards. But he hasn’t gotten the ball in the end zone. He says “it’s just a matter of time.” He’ll get a chance Sunday when the Rams play NFC West rival Arizona in London.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Super Bowl awarded to Tampa for 2021."