Price of Atlanta Falcons' new stadium jumps again, up 50 percent from original estimate

Anytime Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank starts talking in the fourth person, you know he's about to purchase a small country drop a fat wad of cash on something. Be it bottles of expensive champagne, ostrich skin cowboy boots, or a lifetime supply of Twinkies, Blank can have it all. And while every NFL owner is filthy rich, few are as generous as Blank.

Because he does some questionable stuff from a team control standpoint, Blank's generosity is often overlooked. Notwithstanding his faults, Blank does like to spend money on this team, and the new stadium is no exception to that rule. At a recent event, Blank let slip that the price tag for the new stadium is now $1.5 billion.

After the panel discussion, Blank confirmed that the price-tag on the stadium had gone up by $100 million.

For those keeping score at home, the cost of the new stadium has now spiked 50 percent since it was first announced.

"We have an owner who has a great deal of difficulty saying no," Blank said, referring to himself. "But we are at a point where we have developed and put in place all the great ideas that we can."

The public financing is still capped at $200 million, less than 15 percent of the total cost. And if Blank wants to spend his own money, then we ought to let him do just that.

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