Bell: Will rift among NFL owners over Los Angeles linger?

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RamBill

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Bell: Will rift among NFL owners over Los Angeles linger?
By Jarrett Bell

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...tadium-chargers-raiders-dean-spanos/82059722/

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Jerry Jones strolled through the lobby of the resort hotel where NFL owners are huddling this week with the upbeat vibe of a man who won.

Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner, was a driving force in his peers' decision to select Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s $2 billion-plus stadium plan for the Los Angeles market at the previous league meetings in January. That also meant rejecting the alternative site in Carson, Calif., proposed by the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, a plan that initially had the backing of the owners’ L.A. subcommittee.

Jones, who supported Kroenke from the outset — to the point of lining up the architectural designers and marketing plan — was undoubtedly the most crucial voice in influencing the league to follow the money to Los Angeles rather than support the wishes of a longtime, loyal owner like Chargers CEO Dean Spanos.

"There were times over the past couple of years where I needed to remind myself, ‘This isn’t the Cowboys’ stadium we’re talking about,' " Jones told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.


It just felt like a Cowboys project — Jones was that emotionally invested in the Rams' proposal.

And now it’s fair to wonder whether any hard feelings over the battle for Los Angeles will linger while owners continue their business of growing the nation’s most popular sports league.

“That’s in the past,” Raiders owner Mark Davis insisted to USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.

The Chargers now have the option to join Rams in L.A., pending a new, viable stadium deal in San Diego. That leaves Davis in limbo. The Raiders only have the option to rejoin the Rams in Los Angeles if the Chargers decline — a long shot, I suspect, given the Bolts' inability over more than a dozen years to get a new stadium in San Diego.

Davis, who has talked with officials in Las Vegas about relocating while still hoping to strike a new deal to remain in the Bay Area, hardly sounds like a sore loser. He downplays the notion that the L.A. outcome will divide owners over the long haul.

This week's meetingswill be held without Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who is undergoing shoulder surgery. As much as Jones carried the banner for Kroenke, Richardson campaigned hard for Spanos and Davis.

A Panthers spokesman told USA TODAY Sports that Richardson’s absence this week is coincidental and unrelated to the setback over L.A.


“Obviously, this is a sensitive situation,” Jones said. "But my experience has been that we may have differences of opinion, but the owners who are completely committed — and Jerry is certainly that — they mend their fences.”

Yet it appears there’s been a power shift.

The committee that supported the Carson plan included several owners from the traditional family owned franchises. But Kroenke's project resonated financially.

"When you spend $1.4 billion for a franchise, and franchises are worth $3 billion, the concept of take-care-of-our-own is not as it once was,” former NFL executive Carmen Policy told USA TODAY Sports.

Policy, who once headed front offices for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, was enlisted for the Carson project. But after a few years away from the NFL, he noticed a changing dynamic among owners.

“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, when you’d come to league meetings, it was much more collegial,” Policy said in a phone interview from California. “People came early and stayed days later. Now it’s a business conference, with the jets on the runway ready to go as soon as the meetings are over. I think the league lost something with that.”

Jones contends that any change isn’t so much about power — during the 1990s, he opposed the late Art Modell and helped flip television negotiations that led to a new network partner in Fox and also changed the landscape when he sued the league over marketing — but rather a shift borne of transparency. Owners had not rejected a significant committee recommendation like they did on L.A. since denying Modell’s TV plan, which ultimately left longtime league partner CBS sidelined for several years.

“Not to demean the committee approach but, frankly, this was really more about analyzing the best growth opportunity for Los Angeles for ourselves,” Jones said. “We told the players (during labor talks) we’d be aggressive in growing the pie, and this was the opportunity to do that, which we could not pass up.”

Not with Jones sealing the deal.

“Jerry’s always had power, influence and stature when it comes to certain areas,” Marc Ganis, a consultant with SportsCorp, Ltd., told USA TODAY Sports, alluding to matters that include marketing, sponsorships and television.

“So it’s not new. He’s exercised a certain type of power going back to the Fox deal.”

Ganis doesn’t see a major power shift among owners as much as he sees those like Jones carrying more weight on certain issues.

“If it had been close, Dean would have gotten the votes,” Ganis said. “But the plans were not even close. That doesn’t diminish Jerry Richardson’s influence. It came down to picking the better project.”

Which for the changing ranks of NFL owners, is all part of a larger evolution.
 

-X-

Medium-sized Lebowski
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This is where I keep all the fucks I give about NFL Owners.

Inside_Storage.jpg
 

DaveFan'51

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" Money Talks, BS Walks, always has been this way, always well be! That's Life!!
 

Warner4Prez

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Benny
Hard to imagine much of a rift when the vote went 30-2. The overwhelming majority of owners saw an opportunity to make a shit ton more money by moving into Hollywood Park. Case closed.
 

den-the-coach

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This is where I keep all the fucks I give about NFL Owners.

It's not fucks, it's about bucks and all the money that will be rolling in will have all the owners united because in the end, that is what really matters and it might be sad, but money get away going to buy a football team and that's okay.
 

Ramfansince79

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There were loyalties that were challenged, but no division among the owners (aside from Spanks and Davis). The vote was 30-2 in favor. Money always wins today.
 

RamBill

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  • #9
Relocation no longer a factor for Rams at owners meetings
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...o-longer-a-factor-for-rams-at-owners-meetings

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- And now, it's time for something different.

For the better part of the past couple of years, NFL owners meetings have covered a variety of topics but none has been more of a hot-button issue than relocation to Los Angeles. There have been long discussions nestled into the itinerary on things like rule changes. There have even been special meetings called specifically to talk about Los Angeles.

At this week's owners meetings here in Florida, Los Angeles will likely come up again, but after the league decided to send the Rams back to the City of Angels in January, it's no longer of primary concern. It's certainly a welcome respite from the contentious and tedious process required to gain the league's approval to move.

Here's a look at what to expect from this week's owners meetings from a Rams perspective:

-- As mentioned above, the Rams are moving to Los Angeles so there are no more battles to be fought on that front. There is, however, some more business that has to be taken care of. While the San Diego Chargers have until next year to decide on whether to stay or join the Rams in Inglewood, it's safe to expect that both Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis will be asked about relocation this week. The Rams' position remains the same as they wait to see if another team will join them. It's important from a business standpoint because the Rams can't start selling the Inglewood stadium until they know if they're sharing it per the agreement made with the league. Relocation to other cities also figures to be a topic for Davis and Spanos as San Antonio, Las Vegas and even St. Louis have been brought up in connection to both teams.

-- Rams coach Jeff Fisher announced at last month's NFL scouting combine that he has taken a hiatus from the competition committee so he can focus on the team's move. That means Fisher will have a far more relaxed week in Florida than he did at past owners meetings. Just like at the combine, the lack of those additional meetings means Fisher can kick back a little bit and continue to invest his attention on his football team. Of course, Fisher will keep an eye on proposed rule changes as they relate to his team, but he'll no longer be front and center in such discussions.

-- Fisher is scheduled to speak to the media at the NFC coaches breakfast on Wednesday morning. It will be the first time he's talked since the new league year began, so we should be able to get his thoughts on the team's moves so far, the players they lost and what's still to come in terms of the roster. Also, the Rams plan to be out of St. Louis by the end of next week so we should get an update on how things are going with the move. One more thing: We'll see if there's been any progress on a contract extension for Fisher.

-- Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been more open and willing to speak since he was awarded the right to move to Los Angeles. Does that mean he'll be speaking in Boca? It could. If nothing else, it could be a good chance to hear from him about the state of his football team moving forward now that the relocation process is complete.

-- Although the Rams haven't added but two outside free agents, I'll also try to seek scouting reports on cornerback Coty Sensabaugh and defensive end Quinton Coples from their former coaches. And I'm sure there will be some other news and notes that pop up along the way.
 

RamBill

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
Still Work Left for NFL to Finalize Stadium Deal in LA

ESPN NFL Nation reporters Nick Wagoner, Paul Gutierrez and Eric D. Williams talk about the Rams, Raiders and Chargers’ stadium situations as it relates to Los Angeles. Can something get done in San Diego to keep the Chargers there? Raiders owner Mark Davis is flirting with Las Vegas. Who will join the Rams in L.A., if anyone?

Watch L.A. Stadium Discussion