The Georgia Senate has offered an olive branch to the National Football League.
A week after the chamber voted unanimously to condemn the NFL, the chamber passed a separate resolution on Wednesday thanking the league "for bringing its showcase event to the greatest football stadium in the nation."
Atlanta is gearing up to host next year's Super Bowl for the first time since 2000 thanks to the new $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And the state's business powers don't want the rebuke to complicate the preparations.
“The State of Georgia aims to produce the greatest Super Bowl of all time and to host the Super Bowl many times again in the future,” the resolution declares, adding the game “will shine a positive light upon Georgia's high quality of life, hospitality to visitors, and outstanding business climate.”
It comes a week after the Georgia Senate swiftly approved a resolution slamming the NFL over its "hypocritical actions" for denying a veterans group advertising space in the official Super Bowl program.
That measure was introduced by state Sen. David Shafer, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor who tried to capitalize on the resolution's success with a string of web ads for his campaign.
The more glowing proposal, which was also adopted unanimously, had a bipartisan cast of co-sponsors that included Butch Miller, the chamber’s top Republican senator, and Democrat Nan Orrock of Atlanta.
More: Georgia Senate condemns NFL ahead of Atlanta’s Super Bowl date
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