Future Odessa Sports Tavern Still Going Ahead as Planned Even After Co-Owner Dies of COVID-19

Downtown Odessa is still getting a new sports tavern even though the co-owner of the bar died of COVID-19 back in June.

According to NewsWest 9, the plans were going ahead and then the unthinkable happened when Patrick Clay Rodriguez, one of the co-owners of the sports tavern, passed away from COVID-19 complications.

The tavern was the brainchild of Rodriguez, his older brother Shawn, and retired NFL player Bradley Marquez, the surviving owners have now decided to name the tavern in honor of Patrick.

"The Patrick Clay Tavern," said Shawn Rodriguez, "We thought it was a good time for us to come in early and hopefully put our mark on downtown."

With the growth going on in Downtown Odessa, the three men who were born and raised in Odessa saw an opportunity and went with it.

"The original name of the tavern was the Icon Tavern, of course we were going to have all of the memorabilia of all of the iconic moments in sports. You know, whether it was Muhammad Ali standing over Sunny Liston or Willie Mays' backward catch, and that was the concept and it still is the concept," explained Rodriguez.

After Patrick died, his older brother Shawn and Marquez thought hard about it but decided they had to continue with the plans even if it meant delaying or changing them.

"This was his dream that is the main reason why I'm continuing this because I definitely want to do right by my brother and make sure this thing happens," said Rodriguez. "The reason we decided to name this place after Patrick because even in the original conversations I would tell Patrick I think the name is missing something I'm not sure what it is but there's something missing. So after Patrick passed, Me and Bradley talked about it and decided Patrick Clay sounded like a nice tavern name but to keep the sports theme because he loved sports more than anything."

Rodriguez and Marquez are hoping to start construction in January with plans to open in late spring.