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Super switch: NFL gets its wish: League works out deal for Feb. 3

Super switch: NFL gets its wish By JOHN McCLAIN Houston Chronicle After more than two weeks of negotiations, the NFL persuaded the National Automobile Dealers Association to convention dates in New Orleans, allowing Super Bowl XXXVI to move back a week to Feb. 3 and retaining the regular 12-team playoff format. Among the inducements the NFL is giving the NADA to switch its convention from Feb. 2-5 to Jan. 26-29 are $7.5 million for losses suffered because of the change and up to $500,000 to match NADA's donation to the relief efforts in New York and Washington, D.C. The regular season ends the weekend of Jan. 5-7 with the games that were postponed from the second week of the season because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The wild card round of the playoffs is Jan. 12-13. Divisional League works playoffs are Jan. 19-20. The championship games are Jan. 27. "We deeply appreciate the willingness of (NADA president) Phil Brady and America's new car dealers to work with us," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. "Thanks to their leadership, our fans and teams can look forward to a full complement of playoffs and to a great Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans." Tagliabue singled out the behind-the-scenes efforts of Saints owner Tom Benson, who made his fortune in the automobile industry, as well as New Orleans officials and the Louisiana congressional delegation. "Tom Benson and the Louisiana leadership were instrumental in helping us reach our goals of keeping the playoffs intact and fulfilling our Super Bowl commitment to New Orleans," Tagliabue out deal for Feb. 3 said. Such owners as Benson, William Clay Ford (Lions), Adams (Titans), Red McCombs (Vikings) and Wayne Huizenga (Dolphins), all of whom are automotive moguls, also used their influence to help secure the agreement for the NFL. By rescheduling the Super Bowl, the NFL avoided problems it didn't want to deal with. After it put off the second week of the season, the NFL presented several scenarios for the playoffs. One was to condense the field from 12 teams to eight and skip a week of playoff games. But that would have forced the NFL to pay back the networks for the games - and the networks wanted as much as $80 million. Another was to condense the playoffs, with teams playing as many as three games in 10 days. Ultimately, Tagliabue and his team of negotiators worked out the best possible solution for the teams, fans and the networks. But the city of New Orleans has another problem that has yet to be solved. The Super Bowl is scheduled the first weekend of Mardi Gras. Sixteen parades are scheduled to run through downtown Feb. 1-3. New Orleans mayor Marc Morial said this week that the NFL asked if the city can provide enough security for parades at the same time as the game at the Superdome. Organizers of Mardi Gras met with city leaders, police officials and members of the hotel industry in an attempt to work out logistical problems. Besides rescheduling the parades, arrangements must be made for the carnival balls that are such a big part of Mardi Gras.

Article from 04 Oct 2001The Houston Chronicle(Houston, TX)

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