NFL sues over
unpaid debt
from Pro Bowl
The NFL is suing a Honolulu ticket agency for about $558,000 in sales and sponsorship monies stemming from February's Pro Bowl.
The suit filed in 1st Circuit Court in Honolulu on Thursday claims Ticket Plus Inc., and its chief executive, Manuel Sanchez, broke their contract with the NFL. The football league said it's owed $474,604 for Pro Bowl tickets sold by the company and a $100,000 event sponsorship fee.
Ticket Plus was acquired by Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster in March but the ticketing giant is not named as a defendant in the suit.
Sanchez says he sent the NFL a $100,000 payment last month and that he's seeking a loan to repay the NFL.
The NFL is also seeking $464 from Sanchez for eight tickets to a San Francisco 49ers event.
The problem stems from a significant debt to Ticket Plus owed by an unidentified third party, Sanchez said.
NFL Senior Vice President Jim Steeg told the Star-Bulletin last month that this situation will not affect ongoing negotiations between the NFL and the State of Hawaii for a new Pro Bowl contract.
"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 held at Aloha Stadium for the past 24 years. The annual all-star event drew about 18,000 visitors to the state this year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
