Stephen Ross wasn't surprised that South Florida failed to earn a Super Bowl bid Tuesday.
The Miami Dolphins owner believes the NFL will freeze the area out of the game's biggest spectacle until renovations are made at aging Sun Life Stadium. Missing out on Super Bowl L and Super Bowl LI was a loss for the region, even if Ross appeared to gain some leverage in the process.
"I can't do it alone," Ross told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "I think I went out further than any owner has ever gone out in offering to a city to put up money and deliver on a new modernized stadium. I think I'm going to have to do it with local people.
"I think they'll realize that Miami, the weather alone won't bring Super Bowls and other marquee events. And I'd like to see marquee events in Miami because we deserve to because it's the greatest city in the country."
Ross confirmed he was prepared to privately fund up to 70 percent of a renovation project. When Florida lawmakers blocked a bill for public financing, the Dolphins responded by canceling all renovation plans.
That has created a Texas stand-off in South Beach. Tuesday was the latest chapter in what promises to be an ongoing saga.
"There has to be a public-private partnership," Ross maintained. "I think the percentage I'm going to put up is probably more than anyone else has ever put up, and I'm willing to do that. But I think we're going to have to work together."
Ross said there's "no question" the NFL wants the Super Bowl to return to South Florida, but the Dolphins and state leaders must find a way to get on the same page for that to happen. South Florida bid committee chairman Rodney Barreto told The Associated Press he doubts the Super Bowl will return for a long time.
"The problem with us is that we're fat and happy and we do it so well, and everybody has figured out what we knew all along, and that's why all these cities who have never bid are doing it now," Barreto said, via The AP. "This Super Bowl probably ain't coming back, probably for another 10 years. We may have a baseball All-Star Game or World Series before we get another Super Bowl, which is a shame."
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
