Former Patriots Owner Victor Kiam testified yesterday
in the St. Louis Convention and Visitor Commission's (CVC)
$130M lawsuit against the NFL, according to Lhotka & O'Neil
of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Kiam said that between '90
and '92 he tried three times to move the team but was
"blocked each time by the NFL." Kiam claimed that his team
"met NFL's usual criteria to move: It was losing money and
fan attendance was declining." But NFL lawyers "pointed
during cross-examination to the Patriots' losing record and
the team's sexual harassment scandal involving a female
sports writers as reasons for lost fan support." Kiam said
league execs prevented him from relocating to Jacksonville,
San Antonio or Baltimore during his tenure and he said that
he lost $30M while owning the team. Kiam: "[NFL]
Commissioner [Paul] Tagliabue said, 'You don't meet the
guidelines,' all of which are subjective. I never had a
chance." Under cross examination, Kiam "defended himself in
a sexual harassment scandal" involving former Boston Herald
reporter Lisa Olson that began in '90. Lawyers also noted
that Kiam inherited a team that went to the Super Bowl in
the '85 season, went 1-15 during his tenure "and back to the
Super Bowl last January" and currently has a waiting list
for season-tickets (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/17). On
Wednesday, several NFL owners, on videotaped, gave "varying"
testimony on "why they voted as they did" in March and April
of '95 when the Rams' move to St. Louis was first rejected
and then approved (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/16).
