One of the issues facing NFL owners during their November 7
meeting in Dallas will be the status of Baltimore as a future
home to an NFL franchise. Unless NFL owners pass a resolution by
the end of December guaranteeing a team for the city, the state's
offer to build a state-of-the-art football facility will be off
the table. If the resolution, doesn't get the required 23-vote
majority, the "funding mechanism to authorize bonds" for the
$200M facility will be eliminated. In interviews with NFL owners
and other league officials, the "general consensus is that
passage of the resolution seems unlikely" on November 7 (Leonard
Shapiro of WASHINGTON POST, 10/28). Baltimore will get a team,
but not at the league meeting, according to Will McDonough of the
BOSTON GLOBE. The issue will be discussed, including the effect
on the Redskins. McDonough: "Across the league, at the highest
levels, the belief is that a franchise will commit to Baltimore
before Feb. 1" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/29). In Baltimore, John
Steadman writes, if they win, "the ideal approach" for Baltimore
would be to press for an expansion club when L.A. is filled in
'97 (Baltimore SUN, 10/29).
