Bernie: Goodell says only one stadium for LA
• By Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_84b17867-4bee-5f4c-825a-b821f7081b42.html
In an interview with Charlie Rose of "CBS This Morning," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will have to decide between two stadium proposals in the Los Angeles area.
“We have two proposed, but we have to pick one or the other," Goodell told Rose. "It’s not likely we’ll pick both stadiums.”
That's an understatement.
Not that this news should surprise anyone that's paid attention to the Los Angeles saga. The NFL wasn't going to allow three teams to move from their current markets to set up in two stadiums in Los Angeles.
So it will come down to a choice between Stan Kroenke's plan in Inglewood and the Carson proposal that would house the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, who are partnering on the project.
Kroenke, the Rams owner, aggressively tried to jump the line and stake a claim on the LA market by announcing his stadium plan in early January.
The Chargers and Raiders countered on Feb. 19 by announcing their joint intention to construct the Carson stadium.
Kroenke's proposed venue ($1.86 billion) is more extravagant and exciting.
The Carson proposal ($1.7 billion) offers better freeway access and can give the NFL a two-team presence in Los Angeles.
Of course, given the wheeling, dealing and conniving that takes place in the NFL it's possible for Kroenke to entice the Raiders or Chargers to join him in Inglewood.
It's strongly believed that Kroenke would like to have the only team in the LA market. But having a tenant and a second NFL team in his I-wood complex presumably would be preferable to getting shut out of Los Angeles altogether.
And if Kroenke can lure the Chargers or Raiders to Inglewood, the team that doesn't end up with a new stadium in SoCal could look to St. Louis for a new start.
Needless to say, Kroenke may not receive league approval to move. And then he'd have to make a big decision between staying in St. Louis for 2016 -- or bolting to LA to likely set off a pitched battle that would pit NFL lawyers vs. the Kroenke lawyers.
Just a reminder:
• The NFL will do what it wants to do. Words are meaningless. And relocation rules are meaningless until the NFL proves otherwise.
• This game is far from over; there are many variables in play.
• The strategy will take more turns.
• The NFL will do what it wants to do.
• And finally ... the NFL will do what it wants to do.
As for now ...
"In San Diego, Oakland or St. Louis we would like to know can a stadium get built there and can a team be successful long-term," Goodell told Rose.
(The "can a team be successful long-term" gives the NFL the wiggle room to justify any decision.)
St. Louis has clearly made more progress on the stadium front. San Diego and Oakland are trying to catch up.
There isn't much hope for a new stadium in Oakland, and San Diego's efforts have failed (at least so far) to satisfy the Chargers.
As for the ongoing effort in St. Louis, Goodell offered encouraging words Friday in comments made at an annual gathering of the Associated Press Sports Editors.
In remarks that were oddly underplayed or ignored nationally and in St. Louis, Goodell said:
"We think it’s exciting. We think they’ve made a lot of progress. To the point where they’ve identified the site, identified various funding sources, identified design plans, that we think is responsive to having a franchise be successful in St. Louis. I would tell you that I think they’re continuing down a path that is a very positive path.”
“I think we’ve been very clear with every community, including the L.A. communities, that we want to see real progress,” Goodell said. “It has to be substantial. ... This is not a new issue to any of these communities, including San Diego. I think this is 13 or 14 years they’ve been working on a stadium.”
Contrast that to comments made by Goodell when assessing the situation in Oakland and San Diego.
"I think we’ve been very clear with every community, including the L.A. communities, that we want to see real progress,” Goodell told the editors. “It has to be substantial. This is not a new issue to any of these communities, including San Diego. I think this is 13 or 14 years they’ve been working on a stadium.”
Goodell, of course, is excited by both stadium plans in LA, saying that they have the potential "to be successful for generations going forward.”
But now, according to Goodell, the NFL will choose only one.
Thanks for reading ...
- Bernie