Toronto councillor Doug Ford says he was told last week by NFL Canada that Toronto is “right up there on the list†of cities awaiting NFL teams.
“They have to take care of the problem in Los Angeles first,†said the candid Ford, who is the brother of Toronto mayor Rob Ford. “Two teams are kind of in play here: Jacksonville’s number one; New Orleans is the other. So there’s two teams. Once they take care of Los Angeles, we’re going to fly over to New York, set up a meeting with [NFL commissioner Roger] Goodell and give him our pitch.â€
One problem, Mr. Councillor. The city lacks an NFL-ready venue, according to Goodell. But last month, Ford explained his vision of a waterfront stadium to The Globe and Mail’s Marcus Gee. He expanded on the stadium issue in an interview with me at his office Wednesday, stating that he’s talked to Rogers Communications about adding seats to Rogers Centre.
“When I talked to Rogers they were very interested,†Ford said. “Now, they could take the hotel out and add another 10,000 seats but that still wouldn’t get us up to the 75,000 that we need for the Super Bowl.â€
Did he just say “Super Bowl�
“The NFL’s saying, ‘OK, if you’re building a stadium, build it [with 75,000 seats] or you won’t even be eligible for the Super Bowl.’â€
Wait, he just said it again. A Super Bowl outside of the United States? In Canada? Now we’re dreaming big. Now we’re shooting for the stars. It’s enough to make an interviewer overlook the fact that, moments prior, Ford passively suggested demolishing the Renaissance Hotel’s 70 rooms that overlook the field.
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