The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of multiple Florida sports teams whose plans have been impacted by Hurricane Milton. The team’s flight to London — where they’re scheduled to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday — is “slightly” delayed, a team spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
The Jaguars typically depart Thursday night for a Friday morning arrival when playing in London, but they expect to arrive later Friday than originally planned.
Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Fla., as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday and has since weakened to a still-powerful Category 1 hurricane. As of Thursday morning, a storm surge warning remained in effect along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The Jaguars are scheduled to face the Bears at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They rescheduled a news conference that was originally planned for Friday at the team hotel near London and moved it to Saturday.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that the storm “could affect some timing” but “it looks promising” for the team to depart without significant delays, according to the Associated Press.
The NFL said in a statement to the AP that no changes to Sunday’s schedule are expected.
Plans for other Florida sports teams have also been impacted by the storm. In the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left the Tampa area early for their Sunday game against the Saints in New Orleans, departing Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, Milton destroyed the roof at Tropicana Field — home to MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays — as it descended upon St. Petersburg, Fla., and the surrounding area.
Required reading
(Photo: Courtney Culbreath / Getty Images)
