PHOENIX -- The Detroit Lions might have struggled at Ford Field last season, but Toto sure didn’t.

The cult-favorite ’80s band watched fans vote their hit “Africa” as song of the week for every single home game last season. It wasn’t even close most weeks, and fans were actually cheering for it by the end of the year.

It’s somehow become a sort of unofficial anthem for the Lions, and there was a push among some fans -- especially the good folks over at Pride of Detroit -- for the club to book Toto for the Thanksgiving halftime show. Alas, Mike Posner played the gig instead. (And the Lions went on to lose the game. I’m sure that was just a coincidence, right?)

Based on what team president Rod Wood at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, it sounds like a long shot to happen in future years too.

“It is something that we negotiate with the league and the broadcast partners, because they want somebody that will draw attention, put on a good show and be something that is worthy of giving up commercial time at halftime,” Wood said while chatting with Detroit reporters at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. “The league has a list of acts that they have relationship with. We supply our own names that we kind of go through, and try to invite people we think that might accept.

"They’re not paid. It’s like the Super Bowl -- they’re not paid for halftime. They’re there for exposure and an opportunity to reach fans that would be very difficult through other means. We have 30 million people watch the game, so it’s a major platform.”

So, sounds like Toto is out?

“I didn’t say that,” Wood said.