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NEW ORLEANS PLANNING TO BID FOR 2013 SUPER BOWL
Posted by Mike Florio on May 24, 2008, 10:59 p.m.
New Orleans last hosted a Super Bowl in February 2002. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city, some wondered whether the game would ever return — especially since it looked for a while like the team that plays there might leave.

But the Saints look to be staying put, and if they do the Super Bowl could be coming back.

Of late, the primary sticking point has been the fact that the Saints’ lease at the Superdome runs only through 2010, and the owners wouldn’t award a Super Bowl to New Orleans if there’s a chance that the city might not have a team in it when the game is played there.

“Listen, I’m all for it,” Saints owner Tom Benson said at the one-day meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday. ”I tried to get them to bid on 2012 but they wouldn’t do it. We’ve got to work out with the state to get an extension to our lease, a long-term lease is what we prefer. But I think we’re working on it. I feel good about it.”

Other owners said that they support the move, including Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, and Colts owner Jim Irsay.