Could Our Lady of the Lake be the name on LSU's new on campus arena?
BATON ROUGE – LSU's new on campus multipurpose arena could possibly land on its name before construction begins.
Our Lady of the Lake Health has had preliminary discussions for the naming rights of LSU's new arena, LSU officials confirmed to The Daily Advertiser Friday night. Those talks have transpired, and continue to transpire between the university, the regional medical organization as well as architecture firm Populous and project developer Oak View Group.
"In general to the entire agreement and any details that would come out of a records request, that is all preliminary and nothing has even been presented to the (LSU Board of Supervisors) for approval," LSU Athletics Chief Communications Officer Zach Greenwell said Friday.
No naming right deals for the arena have been finalized and it is unclear when a proposal would be brought before the board of supervisors for official approval.
"The information made public was related to the potential arena project was part of the ongoing negotiation process," Greenwell said.
In a statement released Friday, Our Lady of the Lake officials said the organization was been involved in negotiations for the naming rights.
"This is a generational project for the Baton Rouge community and economy," the statement said. "While no formal agreement has been reached, we have been in discussions as a potential anchor investor for this project."
At this time, it is unclear when LSU would begin construction on the new arena. Earlier this week, Oak View Group's Chief Executive Officer Timothy Leiweke was indicted on federal charges of organizing a conspiracy to ensure his company would land the bid to build Texas' Moody Center on its campus.
Leiweke resigned his post at the company following the announcement of the charges. The Moody Center opened in 2022.
LSU's new arena would house the LSU women's and men's basketball teams as well as the gymnastics team. The venue has also been proposed to be used for concerts and other events.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Could Our Lady of the Lake be the name on LSU's new on campus arena?
