Construction paused at Titans' stadium after noose found

Nashville police are investigating the discovery of a noose at the construction site for the Tennessee Titans' new Nissan Stadium.

Work on the 60,000-seat facility, scheduled to open in February 2027, was halted amid the investigation.

"This week, a racist and hateful symbol was discovered on our site. There is no place for hate or racism in our workplace," read a statement Friday from the Tennessee Builders Alliance, which is leading the stadium construction. "We reported the incident to law enforcement, suspended work, and launched an investigation."

The group said all workers will be required to undergo additional anti-bias training, and that a reward has been offered for information leading to the identification of the individual responsible.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell also released a statement.

"Obviously, this is an environment where we want to try as hard as we can to prevent scenarios that might be fear or hate-based," O'Connell said. "We've taken some steps, both with local policies, state policy, and partnership with them to try, again, to keep temperatures low and prevent hate incidents like this. It is very concerning, there is an open investigation. I know the Titans are cooperating with Metro Nashville Police and we'll see what that investigation turns up."

Construction on the $2.1 billion project along the Cumberland River began in 2024. Public funding is covering $1.26 billion, making it the largest public subsidy for a stadium in the U.S.

--Field Level Media