Nashville mayor John Cooper has called for the Titans to postpone Saturday’s game against The Texans amid local blackouts in the surrounding area.
The Tennessee Valley Authority announced Saturday morning that it had directed local power companies to reduce their power load due to the freezing temperatures, resulting in rolling blackouts around the state. As a result, Cooper has asked all non-essential businesses to reduce their power usage.
That includes the Titans, who are scheduled to kick off their game at 1 p.m. ET.
“I’ve been informed that TVA’s unilateral rolling blackouts will continue. All non-essential businesses should reduce power usage. I’ve asked the @Titans to postpone their 12pm game in solidarity with our neighbors,” Cooper wrote on Twitter. “TVA needs to invest in infrastructure to withstand extreme temps.”
The Titans have yet to comment publicly on Cooper’s request or any schedule update, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Saturday’s game against the Texans has been postponed an hour. The kickoff, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, will now take place at 2:02 p.m. ET.
The Titans did place a tarp on the field less than three hours before the game was scheduled to get underway with the temperature hovering at about 15 degrees.
“I appreciate the @Titans delaying kickoff for one hour as @TVAnews commits to immediately ending the rolling blackouts,” Cooper wrote in a follow-up tweet. “NES continues to work hard to minimize disruption for residents this holiday weekend.”
