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Nashville in the Mix as New Combine Host Site

CombineINDIANAPOLIS -- A day after breaking ground on new Nissan Stadium, an official from Nashville and another from the Titans are here as part of a group hosted by the NFL to discuss the possibility of hosting the scouting combine.

Four cities were part of the visit, as Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Phoenix joined Nashville while Indianapolis will try to retain the event. Things are in the very preliminary stages.

"The league has decided they want to take a look at is it worth moving, they've invited several cities to Indy this week to look at it and of course, we raised our hand and said we'd love to tag along and take a look and hopefully have a shot at doing something with it," said Butch Spyridon, former president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation who is representing the city as a consultant.

"The new stadium is critical to it and it's another example of what the new stadium opens up as new opportunities for us."

Adolpho Birch, the Titans senior vice president and chief external and legal affairs officer, was also with the group.

Other elements of the combine would be centered at the convention center, downtown hotels, the Titans' practice facility and a hospital, likely Ascension St. Thomas though Vanderbilt is definitely involved with the NFL.

"The convenience is one of the things they are looking for because there is so much back and forth, you can't lose a half an hour getting from one place to another," Spyridon said. "I think that's an advantage for Nashville."

It's possible Nashville could host in 2027 but more likely the first year it would be feasible is 2028. The Kuharsky megaphoneTitans are scheduled to move into the new venue in 2027.

The league has a deal with Indianapolis to keep the combine here through 2025.

The visitors are scheduled to meet with Jeff Foster, who runs National Invitational Camp, which runs the combine.

Spyridon joked that every NFL city is always in consideration but he thinks the four here meet some initial criteria that the league thinks it needs.

"I think it's a good sign that we're in a small group," he said.

Indianapolis does not pay the NFL to host the combine, but the NFL does not pay for space in the convention center or for use of Lucas Oil Stadium.

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