Buccaneers plan to play in Tampa, but could practice in Minnesota

The threat of the Hurricane already cancelled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first game, which was scheduled to be played in Miami, and may affect its second game too. The Tampa Bay area was thankfully spared the brunt of the hurricane’s effects, but there’s still a lot of material damage in Tampa and its surroundings.

Depending on how the team facilities and stadium were affected, the Bucs may decide to relocate some of its practices some 1,500 miles to Minnesota, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The Bucs evacuated its players and staff before the hurricane hit Tampa, which means they now need to get all of them back in town to start practice on Wednesday—and that may be a tall order given the infrastructure damage and the fact that many of them are now back with family, scattered across the country.

If the Bucs can’t get everyone in town before Wednesday, there are plans in place to start practicing at the University of Minnesota instead. One complicating factor is the potential need for the Bucs to find alternative, temporary housing for players and staff whose houses were damaged by the hurricane.

That doesn’t mean the Bucs’ game itself is in danger, though. All indications are that the Bucs will play the Chicago Bears in Tampa on Sunday, and the Tampa Bay Times says they’re “fully committed” to that plan.