According to The Associated Press, the NFL has awarded Super Bowl XLVI tickets to each fan that was forced to watch from monitors placed throughout Cowboys Stadium. In addition to tickets to next year's Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the displaced fans received triple the face value of their 2011 ticket ($2,400), free merchandise, food and beverages and a trip onto the field at the end of the game.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league takes full responsibility for the safety issues that cropped up, and is working toward preventing this problem at future events. At the end of the day, however, Goodell said the league's primary concern will always be safety.
"The one thing we will never do is compromise safety," Goodell said. "Safety for our fans, safety for our players, anyone involved with our event."
Despite the issue with the seating safety, Goodell said Dallas still did well in hosting the huge event.
"I think they did an outstanding job," Goodell said. "It was a great event, and I'm sure that they'll be seeking another Super Bowl. I'm sure the ownership will look at that very seriously."
The 400 fans coming back for Super Bowl XLVI will be special "guests of the NFL" at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next year. Originally, 1,250 attendees were displaced, but the league was able to find alternate seating for 850 of the affected fans throughout the stadium.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed on Sunday that because of the seating issue, the Super Bowl attendance record was not achieved. The announced attendance of 103,219 fans was just short of the 103,985 record set in Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl.
