Roger Goodell on Miami Super Bowls: ‘We believe that we’ll be back here many times.’
Miami on Sunday will host its record-setting 11th Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium.
And if Roger Goodell’s gut feeling Wednesday holds true, it won’t be the last time in South Florida
“We believe that we’ll be back here many times going into the future,” Goodell said as part of a half hour nred conference at the Hilton Miami Downtown. “It’s a great spot for the Super Bowl.”
Goodell cited the “great community,” and the city’s ability “to put on big events.”
But even at that, it has been a decade since Miami hosted its last Super Bowl before this year.
The main reason: The Miami Dolphins’ stadium wasn’t up to the standards the NFL required to host its championship game.
The league and most of its membership wants teams to play in new, if not drastically updated, facilities, and prefers taxpayers to help defray some of the costs.
Enter owner Stephen Ross, directed upwards to three-quarters of a billion dollars to modernize Hard Rock Stadium, build a tennis complex that hosts the annual Miami Open and break ground on a new training facility.
“Miami, there’s a reason why it’s hosting its 11th Super Bowl, the most in NFL history,” Goodell said. “They’re a great community. They know how to put on big events. This is a new stadium, Hard Rock Stadium. I call it a new stadium because I think the work that’s been done here by Stephen Ross and his team has made it into a high-quality stadium that I think everyone here is anxious to showcase as well as this great community. They know how to do this.”
Goodell also thanked Ross, the Dolphins organization and local city officials for how they have handled their duties as host.
“The owners put their trust in their fellow partner when they select a Super Bowl city,” Goodell said. “... The leadership here, the local leaders, this is the 11th time they’ve hosted the Super Bowl. Their experience is unmatched.”
Other highlights from Goodell’s news conference:
▪ Goodell said meetings are already scheduled to try to solve lack of minority hires from happening in future coach hiring cycles.
▪ Two more NFL games will be played in Mexico over next two years.
▪ The NFL will have tributes “in some fashion and respectful way” for both NBA great Kobe Bryant and NFL Hall of Famer Chris Doleman at the Super Bowl on Sunday.
▪ Goodell has given no thought about retirement. “It’s not on my agenda,” said Goodell, who has been the league commissioner since 2006.
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