Dayton: NFL Super Bowl requests go ‘way overboard’
Published 9:10 am Wednesday, June 11, 2014
ST. PAUL — A list of requests by the NFL of cities bidding for the Super Bowl go “way overboard” in the eyes of Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton.
Still, he says the benefits of having pro football’s 2018 championship game outweigh the perks the host committee may have granted in it. Dayton addressed the topic Tuesday, days after the Minneapolis Star Tribune documented freebies the NFL expects of its hosts. The state’s Super Bowl bid committee insists any costs — from extra police to free hotel rooms and entertainment venues — will be covered by private dollars.
Minnesota’s bid hasn’t been released, with a stadium authority citing exemptions to public data laws. Dayton says he’d have “no problem” with releasing more information but he deferred to lawyers involved in the project.