Report: NRG Stadium Not Ready For Super Bowl, Who Pays?

We have more than 700 days to go before the Bayou City gets to host its third Super Bowl ever and the NFL just dropped a bombshell.

What could it be so early in?

As of right now, NRG Stadium is not ready to host a Super Bowl.

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Events, said after a tour of H-Town’s facilties last week that the stadium needs upgrades to its club and suite levels and a boost in Wi-Fi coverage.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, the stadium needs $50 million in improvements to be Super Bowl ready.

How could this be considering the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock & Rodeo, its primary tenants, pull in billions of dollars annually with the plethora of events it hosts?

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But it’s true.

Two seasons ago, we saw the county make a badly-needed replacement of the video boards, which has certainly improved the in-game experience, they’re quite a modern marvel and the widest in the NFL.

But now more money will need to be spent to make sure that NRG Stadium is up to code in terms of what the NFL requires.

Not just who’s going to pay for it?

This is where it gets sticky.

O’Reilly said that Harris County should pay for it since they are the owner/operator of the stadium.

Here’s what he said:

"“This was a state-of-the-art facility in 2004. Comparable stadiums of this age have been helped by updating, (including) suite facilities (and) club facilities.”"

He added this tidbit:

"“That’s lacking. In 2004 and those early years, it might have been right at the top of the league, but there’s a drop-off now.”"

So O’Reilly basically asserted that NRG Stadium is behind the curve.

Here’s who he thinks should pay for it.

"“That burden rests with the county, the folks that own the stadium and (were) part of that bid as well,” he said. “I’m surprised a bit, but there’s an opportunity to remedy that, an opportunity for people to work together, find a solution and get this done.”"

The NFL has officially called Harris County out!

Edgar Colon, chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. did provide an official response from the county in regard to O’Reilly’s comments.

He feels that it will be resolved over time but doesn’t feel the county shoulders all of the financial responsibility.

"“Obviously, we’re very excited about hosting the Super Bowl at NRG Stadium,” he said. “We are on track.”“Some of those (expenses) may be the responsibility of the county, and some may not be. We’re analyzing all that and going through the contracts and the documents and having conversations with our major tenants to resolve all of these contractual obligations. I’m sure all are going to be resolved in time.”"

I go to a few Texans’ games a year and although it’s rare for me to be watching the game from the club/suite levels, I do have to admit that we could use some better Wi-Fi coverage.