Plan for stadium falls flat over roof Saturday, March 11, 2006 BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN / Star-Ledger Staff The owners of the Giants and Jets said yesterday they would kill their plan to build a new stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex rather than put a roof on the structure.In a meeting with The Star-Ledger's editorial board, Giants co-owner and chief executive John Mara and Jets owner Woody Johnson disputed the view of state officials that a roof would increase profits and help attract major events, including the Super Bowl.Mara estimated the roof would cost nearly $300 million, making the $1 billion stadium project prohibitively expensive because the facility would never be able to attract enough additional business to offset the roof costs. "I will walk away from this project rather than put a roof on it," Mara said. Mara's and Johnson's comments came just days after Gov. Jon Corzine said he is interested in making sure any stadium that gets built in the Meadowlands has a roof.Corzine said Tuesday, "A lot of folks believe adding a roof is economically advantageous for the state. I'd like to examine that." The disagreement over the roof is part of a larger debate between the state and the football teams about the status of a "memorandum of understanding" to build the stadium the two sides reached last year when acting Gov. Richard Codey was in office. Now, members of Corzine's administration say they want to change some of the terms of the deal and force the teams to pay more money for property taxes and to lease land at the Meadowlands. The teams were supposed to meet yesterday with executives at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the state agency that operates the sports complex, but canceled the meeting after learning of the state's intention to change the terms of the deal.Carl Goldberg, the sports authority's chairman, said discussions with National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had led him to believe the league truly wanted a roof on a new stadium so it could bring the Super Bowl to the Meadowlands every five or six years.Mara and Johnson said that was not the case, and that the league would not offer additional funding for the stadium if it included a roof, as Goldberg had suggested. They also said they don't want a roof on the stadium because it would hurt their home-field advantage during the colder part of the season. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said last night any consideration of a roof rested on public financing, which the proposed Meadowlands stadium does not have. He also said the other 30 owners would not have any interest in helping to fund a roof at the Meadowlands."The four new stadiums we have with roofs in Arizona, Dallas, Indianapolis and Houston all have major investments of public money," Tagliabue said. "Whenever it came up, I made it clear my position was the same as the Giants... When it did come up my attitude was 'if you want to pay for it." George Zoffinger, the sports authority's chief executive, said the teams' take-it-or-leave-it stance on the roof was "disappointing." "I would like to talk to them about it," Zoffinger said. "People believe if you could have events 365 days a year in this facility it would be a positive thing for the state." Mara and Johnson don't disagree with that. They just don't want to pay for it.
I Want My Own Stadium Damn It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't blame them. Who is the governor to demand that the team build their stadium, with their money, his way? Though it is so far beyond the realm of possibility, it would be totally hillarious if BOTH teams decided to scrap Jersey, and came home to NY!
~ ~ ~ " . . . Gov. Jon Corzine said he is interested in making sure any stadium that gets built in the Meadowlands has a roof.Corzine said Tuesday, "A lot of folks believe adding a roof is economically advantageous for the state. I'd like to examine that . . . " if corzine wants a roof on it ; then let CORZINE PAY FOR IT HIMSELF ! ! ! p.s. corzine can afford it, HE has the coin . . . :beer:
I'm not getting my hopes up at all. This is a done deal. It's all just more crap keeping it interesting. There is no way a roof would bring a SB to the stadium, Tags wanted it in NY, not NJ. Corzine is a joke. I don't live in Jersey, but my perception was that McGreevy (sp?) was much better for the state than any other gov I have seen there in my lifetime. Big deal he was into man-love.
hey guys , how 'bout this ; GIANTS move BACK to NEW YORK & the JETS move to LOS ANGELES ! ! YEAH BABYEEEE . . . :beer:
Why is Woody being "Blamned" for it? The Fact is, Mara is the one Crying like a spoiled bitch! and..... as a financial institution, A roof is necessary!!! Sure, We don't need it for football but for it to have a serious cashflow, you MUST have one.
It would be nice for New York to stand up and invite the teams back to where they were born. I'm sure there's someplace we can build a new stadium...maybe one with a retractable roof???
I don't want a roof. I want Miami and their gay fans to freeze their asses when they play us in December.
