Nashville businessman John Ingram offered to take on $54 million more in potential expenses for the Major League Soccer stadium deal — but Mayor John Cooper continued to stall the deal, according to a letter he penned to Cooper on Friday.

The letter, obtained by The Tennessean, comes a day after Nashville SC and MLS said in a joint statement there was "deep disappointment" in Cooper stalling the project at Fairgrounds Nashville.

Ingram, who leads the team's ownership group, laid out offers the team has made to move the stadium forward in Nashville. Those include $19 million for infrastructure work related to the stadium and taking on all debt payments for the now $335 million stadium, including $35 million the city was on the hook for if ticket and sales tax revenue falls short.

The team has also offered to adjust design plans related to a 100-foot boundary of the 10-acre development to remove any barriers near the Nashville Speedway.

Yet, Cooper has still not moved forward with the deal, according to the letter, which was also sent to the Metro Council on Friday.

In a statement late Friday afternoon, Cooper thanked Ingram for his letter and said he looks "forward to continuing our discussions to make the historic Fairgrounds a site that works for all of Nashville, including professional soccer.”

"I am glad that Nashvillians have an opportunity to see the significant taxpayer savings we have obtained from our negotiations to date," Cooper said in the statement. "Metro does face financial constraints. We need to prioritize urgent investments in education, transportation, affordable housing, public safety, and neighborhood infrastructure. Obviously, I could not in good faith commit to using additional taxpayer dollars on a private entertainment subsidy."

He said the ownership group's latest offer "represents $139 million in taxpayer savings — a vast improvement for Nashville residents."

But Cooper's figure includes the nearly $85 million in stadium overrun costs — which the team had already committed to paying in the original deal.

'We are out of time':Ingram blasts Mayor John Cooper on stalled MLS stadium

In his letter, Ingram called out Cooper for his assurance during the campaign and since he was sworn in as Nashville’s mayor about the future of the stadium project.

“You personally assured me that the stadium deal was finished business and you planned to move forward to make soccer a success in Nashville,” Ingram wrote.

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With commitments made by the city when it approved the stadium deal in 2017, the team has already invested "hundreds millions of dollars," Ingram said. Despite that, he said, the team entered new negotiations to take into account the city's financial situation and to accommodate Cooper's other demands outside the city's original commitment.

"We went those extra steps above and beyond the existing deal, to be a good partner and citizen," the Ingram wrote, saying the team offered a deal where there is no taxpayer burden.

"Our offer clearly addresses any assertion that the soccer stadium and mixed-use development will take away from teacher pay. It will not. In fact, it will add millions in recurring revenue to the Metro general fund to be used for that very purpose if you wish," Ingram wrote.

When asked about the status of the MLS deal during the Nashville Rotary luncheon on Monday, Cooper told the audience that he was working on negotiating the deal to avoid spending "anything that feels like a teacher pay to go to subsidize a for profit entertainment business."

"You've got to bring all the parties to the table and you have to have a plan where there is no affect on our teachers in terms of our scarce general fund money," Cooper said.

Cooper's record:What he said about MLS stadium as councilman, candidate, mayor

Under the previously approved plan, the city was on the hook to make up any shortfalls for annual debt payments if sales and $1.75 ticket tax revenues fall below $4 million for the first five years of operation, or $3 million in years six through 10.

The team had previously agreed to pay $9 million annually to help retire an estimated $13 million in annual debt.

Metro Council approved issuing $225 million in revenue bonds for the 30,500 seat stadium, while the team would would chip in an initial $25 million capital contribution. The team has committed to cover all stadium overrun costs, and separately is tasked with covering a $150 million expansion fee with MLS.

The Metro Council approved two separate $25 million general obligation bond deals related to the fairgrounds — one for general fairgrounds upgrades, including the new expo centers, and another for infrastructure work around the site related to the stadium.

Cooper has held off signing paperwork to green light demolition of the old fairgrounds expo centers, a needed step to make way for the stadium.

Offer to remove racing barriers

Ingram, in his letter, said Cooper has made clear the fairground racetrack is important — even if there is no current deal in place to expand the track.

Speedway Motorsports has pitched a $60 million racetrack renovation project to bring NASCAR to the fairgrounds. But the placement of the 10-acre mixed-use development and a parking lot near the racetrack entrance is a problem, according to the group.

The close proximity, Speedway Motorsports says, makes the flow in and out of the track nearly impossible and creates a potential public safety issue.

Cooper hasn't said where he stands on a deal with Speedway Motorsports but his office said it was under review.

While Cooper asked during a visit in New York o Thursday with MLS Commissioner Don Garber to claw back about a third of the 10-acre development nearest to the racetrack, Ingram said Friday that doing so would jeopardize other commitments.

Instead, the team will redesign plans for that portion of land there to leave 100 feet of space between any development and the racetrack.

Cooper said an important part of the unified site plan for the fairgrounds is a parcel known as 8c, located at the entrance of the speedway. He said it links the soccer stadium and the race track.

"Careful design and execution is essential to make the site work for two large public venues — supporting circulation, security, staging and access," Cooper said. "Given the long-term significance of the Fairgrounds for our community, this space deserves thoughtful analysis that meets the highest standards for urban design.

Nashville deserves a carefully planned multi-functional space, as opposed to a parking structure that looms over the speedway."

Meanwhile, the team struck a community benefits agreement with Stand Up Nashville, a coalition of community groups and labor unions, guaranteeing affordable housing and child care services at the site.

Ingram said while he would consider giving up the parcel on Thursday, a review has shown that it would be "unworkable" and impact the team's commitment under the community agreement.

"We intend to honor our commitments to the community," he wrote. "Nashville needs to keep its commitments."

Cooper said he remains "fully supportive of the community benefits agreement" and offered "alternative solutions" for the assets affected by removing that parcel, including relocating into other parts of the fairgrounds site.

Cooper's office declined to share more information on what alternatives the mayor offered.

Yihyun Jeong covers politics in Nashville for USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE. Reach her at yjeong@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.