Seating Problems Keep Fans Out Of Super Bowl
ARLINGTON, Texas (KDKA/AP) – Controversy hit the Super Bowl hours before the game even started and it left some fans are very upset.
It appears that Cowboys Stadium was not fully prepared for the crowd attending Super Bowl XLV.
Temporary seats were still being installed in the top level of the stadium's west end as fans filed into the building.
About 1,250 fans were displaced because their seats were deemed unsafe - 400 were sent home, and 850 were given somewhere else to sit.
The NFL said safety was the reason and promised a review.
The league also said the relocated fans were put in "similar or better seats."
In a statement, the league said it expected "most of the fans affected will have been accommodated in their seats or relocated to similar or better seats."
One fan that couldn't get into the stadium sent us an image of this letter:
"Please be advised that due to unforeseen conditions, the installation of temporary seating for Super Bowl XLV was not fully completed and your assigned seat is unavailable for today's game. The NFL and Cowboys Stadium sincerely regret this inconvenience.
As a valid ticket holder in the affected area, you will be provided the following.
1. A refund equal to three times the FACE VALUE of each ticket for which you have in your possession in the affected area. PLEASE HOLD ON TO YOUR TICKET. You will be asked to return the actual tickets to the NFL for such refund. Further instructions as it relates to the refund will be provided in the hospitality described below.
2. Entry to a hospitality area to watch the game.
The NFL and Cowboys Stadium sincerely regret this inconvenience."
Click here to see the image of the letter.
The NFL already was shuffling things around to accommodate the folks who'd paid $600 for those seats.
Public Relations Official Brian McCarthy updated the situation on Twitter.
"400 fans in sections 425A and 430A were not able to be accommodated [with] seats. [They] will get triple face value of $900 [tickets."
Ticket-holders in the affected sections were asked to wait in the Party Plaza while work was being finished.
