As reporters gathered around Roger Staubach following this morning's launch of Mike Rawlings's mayoral campaign at Dallas City Hall, questions inevitably shifted to his thoughts about the approximately 400 fans that were denied seats at Super Bowl XLV because portions of the temporary seating weren't installed prior to game time.
"It's a shame what happened," said the chair of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee. "And those human beings -- whether it's two or 400 or how many -- it's not good. But, you put that in perspective. It was a heckuva game. I know The New York Times put that issue ahead of the game itself. That's the way life is. It was a mistake and shouldn't have happened."
The Hall of Fame quarterback was quick to absolve himself of any blame for the seating fiasco.
"If I was involved with the seats, I would have admitted it, but I wasn't involved with the seats," he said. "So, there was a horrible mistake made, and the NFL is owning up to it."
And while he admitted the weather was far from ideal during the week leading up to the game, Staubach said it didn't prevent fans from enjoying their visit to North Texas.
"The stadium is one of the premier entertainment facilities in the world, and I think it showed very well," he said. "There were some long lines there security-wise. Everyone was worried about security, but on an overall basis, I think we had a very, very good Super Bowl."
Staubach also claimed the region should receive credit for its efforts during the icy conditions that plagued roads throughout the area.
"We had equipment here that we got from all over Texas," he said. "[North Central Texas Council of Governments transportation director] Michael Morris anticipated the bad weather. I said, 'Mike, we don't need all that equipment here,' so you never know. But we had tons of equipment here."
While he said he's "kinda retired" and won't serve on a future bid committee, Staubach is confident that North Texas will host the game again.
"[The NFL] will be back," he said. "They told me that."
