ASSOCIATED PRESS / 2003
The nationally televised Pro Bowl draws the cream of the NFL crop to Aloha Stadium each year. In February the game included AFC quarterback Peyton Manning, left, of the Indianapolis Colts, and NFC quarterback Brad Johnson, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A legal dispute is brewing over a local businessman's $600,000 debt to the NFL over ticket sales.
NFL awaits
$600,000 in
Pro Bowl proceedsThe outstanding debt relates
to ticket sales and sponsorship
The National Football League vice president who oversees the Pro Bowl says the league is considering "legal action" against a Honolulu businessman who owes $600,000.
Manuel Sanchez owes the amount through Pro Bowl ticket sales via his former company, Ticket Plus, as well as sponsorship fees for the NFL all-star game that was played at Aloha Stadium last February, according to NFL Senior Vice President Jim Steeg.
"It's beyond serious. It's in the hands of lawyers now, so I can't comment much," Steeg said.
Steeg said around $500,000 is for ticket sales and $100,000 for sponsorship.
Sanchez expressed surprise when told of Steeg's statement and said he thought he had a payment agreement worked out with the league.
"There is no issue here. I find it shocking that (Steeg) would say that," said Sanchez, who acknowledged the debt. "As of last Thursday, I gave them information they wanted, and they are starting to get their money. I spoke with the people at the NFL I need to speak with, above him."
Steeg's boss at the NFL is commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Sanchez did not say whom he spoke with last week.
Sanchez said he has not paid the $600,000 yet because his company was acquired by worldwide ticketing agency Ticketmaster earlier this year.
"This is because of transition," he said.
Sanchez moved Ticket Plus headquarters to Honolulu from Atlanta in 1998. He quickly was awarded city and state contracts for ticketing events ranging from Honolulu Symphony concerts to University of Hawaii sports as well as bookings for private facilities such as Diamond Head Theatre and Pipeline Cafe.
Ticket Plus set up a 40-outlet distribution system at Foodland and Sack 'n Save stores and other outlets in 2000.
Sanchez's debt to the NFL will not affect ongoing negotiations between the NFL and the State of Hawaii for a new Pro Bowl contract, Steeg said.
"He's a resident of the state of Hawaii, but he's not a government official," Steeg said. "It's a business relationship. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't."
The Pro Bowl has been played at Aloha Stadium since 1980, and the current contract -- which includes a $5 million subsidy by the state -- ends after the 2005 game.
As for the stadium, finishing touches are being put on a new playing surface, called FieldTurf. The installation was done after much prodding by the NFL, which wanted a surface that would cause fewer injuries than the AstroTurf it replaced. Around $800,000 of a $1.3 million price tag for the FieldTurf was picked up by the state, with the NFL paying the rest.
National Football League
