[ PRO BOWL ]
Pro Bowl deal vote
today
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is scheduled to discuss and vote on its new Pro Bowl contract with the NFL at a meeting on the Big Island today.
"It's on the agenda, we'll see what happens," said Larry Johnson, an HTA board member who was among those who negotiated the new five-year deal. "It still has to be documented. We haven't signed a final contract."
Last month, the 32 NFL team owners unanimously approved the contract that will keep the league's all-star game in Hawaii through at least 2009. Last February's game was the 25th consecutive Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium.
In February, Johnson said the state and the NFL had come to a tentative agreement that hosting rights for the state would be less than the $5.3 million for the 2004 game, and an "agreement in principle" had been achieved. Since then, the parties have been working out details.
"We will not be announcing details until the governor has a chance to review it," Johnson said yesterday.