East Rutherford Mayor Gets Super Bowl Invite From Indianapolis Colts Owner
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Indianapolis Colts seem to have found a new fan.
The mayor of East Rutherford, the town where the Super Bowl is being played, is going to the big game thanks to the team's owner.
Mayor James Cassella has complained that the NFL has been treating the Super Bowl like a New York event and mentioned that he had not even been invited to the game, that is until now.
"Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, came forth with a generous offer when he saw that the mayor of the town where this was being held was not offered a chance to go to the game," Mayor James Cassella told 1010 WINS. "He felt that was not right and contacted my office and offered a couple of tickets for the game."
Cassella originally thought he would try buying tickets on StubHub or just watch the big game on television, but Irsay swooped in and invited Cassella to watch the game from his suite at MetLife Stadium.
"The question was always asked if I was invited to the game and the answer always was no. That's how it came about," Cassella said. "I don't want the misconception that I was looking to get a ticket for the game, like this was my way of getting a ticket. No, that wasn't it at all. I was content with what we were doing and I was content with watching the game at home."
"He somehow saw I was not going to the game because no one had offered any tickets to me," Cassella told WCBS 880's Levon Putney. "It's unfortunate it's coming from the Indianapolis Colts. I think I'm going to have to start a Colts fan club back here."
Cassella said he is extremely grateful for the offer.
"When I received this invitation my first thought was, 'Wow, the Indianapolis Colts, Mr. Irsay -- the owner, he recognizes the town more so than the teams that play here,'" Cassella said. "I was quite surprised, but also quite honored that he thought that way."
Now, the mayor is trying to work out the details.
"Figuring that I wasn't going to be going to the game, I made a number of commitments and now I'm going to have to do some rearranging," Cassella told 1010 WINS.
Cassella also has to figure out how to get to the stadium because he doesn't have a parking pass, 1010 WINS' John Montone reported.
"I would look forward to going and certainly thanking the people who are with the Colts," Cassella said. "They probably have found a new fan."
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