NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will be in L.A. later this
week to meet with representatives from Disney and possibly
Dodgers Owner Peter O'Malley on returning pro football to the
area, according to this morning's L.A. TIMES. While the focus of
today's NFL owners meeting in Atlanta is Jerry Jones, it is
believed the subject of L.A. will be brought up with a
presentation of options from the NFL Stadium Committee. Last
week, billionaire Marvin Davis met with Tagliabue in New York,
but sources say Davis "was more interested in acquiring an
existing franchise than waiting for expansion." Davis told
Tagliabue he would be willing to build a new stadium in L.A. "if
a team comes up for sale." Mentioned: Bengals, Seahawks and
Cardinals. The NFL has already told interested parties "it might
be willing to participate in the construction of a new stadium,"
which could include a permanent site for the NFL Experience and
an NFL store. While the NFL has no immediate plans for
expansion, Soboroff is hopeful that timetable might be pushed
forward (T.J. Simers, L.A. TIMES, 9/19).
