A spokesperson for Houston business exec Bob McNair
said he "may quit trying to get" an NFL team for the city if
local officials "continue pushing for a new football stadium
capable of holding Olympic opening and closing ceremonies,"
according to John Williams of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE.
Houston NFL Properties President Steve Patterson said that
Houston hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games would prevent
a football team from using the stadium "for up to a full
season." He also said that NFL officials have indicated
they "would not be inclined to award a 32nd expansion
franchise to a city where home games could not be played for
such a stretch." Patterson, asked if the issue was a "deal-
breaker" for McNair: "If this is the plan they expect us to
live with, I imagine it would be. ... I believe it's a deal-
breaker for the NFL." Harris County Judge Robert Eckels:
"We need to sit down and talk about how to make this work
rather than making threats at this time. Let's get the
financing and design finished, then worry about how to hold
an Olympics in 14 years" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/14).
