Unable to "set a price" for the new Browns franchise,
NFL owners agreed yesterday to a "managed bid process" to
establish the market value and select the owner of the team,
according to Tony Grossi of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said that a "minimum bid, based
on analyses by one or more independent consulting firms,
would be established in late July." After league ownership
committees whittle the field to an undetermined number,
ownership candidates would submit bids." Tagliabue added
that an owner will be selected "no later than early
September -- on criteria other than the highest bid."
Tagliabue: "We've talked about a process that has integrity"
(Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/20). In Akron, David Adams
writes that while "many owners extolled the virtues of
getting fat cats ... to outdo each other, some owners warned
that looking only for the green could be dangerously
myopic." Lions Owner William Ford Jr: "The league can win
the bidding war, and end up with the wrong guy in there, and
that wouldn't be good for Cleveland and the NFL." Adams
reports that it "wasn't uncommon" for $500M, $600M or even
$1B franchise fees to "be bandied about" during the
yesterday's meetings in Coral Gables, FL (AKRON BEACON
JOURNAL, 5/20). In DC, Richard Justice writes that the
league hopes the entry fee will exceed $500M, but that
Tagliabue "was careful to say that the highest bidder might
not get the franchise." Tagliabue: "It's the overall
quality of the package" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/20). In Tampa,
Pat Yasinskas reports that Bucs Owner Malcolm Glazer
believes the fee should be $1B, and submitted that proposal
last week. Raiders Owner Al Davis says Glazer's number is
close: "With the great situation in Cleveland and the great
fans, it has to be one of the best situations in pro sports.
I think the fee has to be very high." But Ravens Owner Art
Modell chuckled at Glazer's figure: "It's not going to be
that exorbitant a price" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/20). In Akron,
Terry Pluto calls the bid process "nothing more than a
shakedown. It's nothing more than a bunch of suits
determined to wring every last dime out of the new Browns
owners, but these wimps don't have the guts just to set a
high price and take the heat" (BEACON JOURNAL, 5/20).
SEARCHING OUTSIDE? Cleveland Mayor Michael White and
Tagliabue "hinted" yesterday that they would be "willing" to
accept an owner whose residence is outside of Northeast OH
or even OH. In Akron, David Adams writes that both "seemed
to go out of their way -- more than they have in the past --
to say non-Ohioans would be OK" (BEACON JOURNAL, 5/20).
MORE STADIUM FUNDS: The NFL agreed to contribute $15M
for cost overruns at the new Browns stadium. In Cleveland,
Bill Lubinger reports that the funds will "not only" help
with overruns but "ease potential cash flow problems
stemming from a possible delay in receiving funds" from the
state of OH. Although overruns are projected at $14.8M, the
City Council has estimated that they could hit more than
$24M. The $15M "gift" is in addition to the $45M the league
has already "advanced for the stadium" (PLAIN DEALER, 5/20).
L.A. STORY: In L.A., T.J. Simers writes that Michael
Ovitz "put on a show" for the NFL owners last week in New
York, "his agent/salesman skills hitting home with owners
who appreciate sizzle." Ovitz's plan for a new stadium in
Carson included "mission-like bells on top of the stadium
that ring every time the home team scores a touchdown."
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones: "I thought his presentation was
very imaginative." But L.A. Councilmember Mark Ridley-
Thomas, the "point man" for New Coliseum Partners, said of
Ovitz's NFL bid: "Interest can often be fleeting. Glitz is
just what it is. The devil's in the details." Ovitz: "I
have been very encouraged by the NFL's interest. This is a
big project that is going to take a long time, but I'm in it
for the long haul" (T.J. Simers, L.A. TIMES, 5/20).
FL NOTES: ESPN's John Clayton reported that the Oilers
"have sold more than 60% of the 41,000 seats at Vanderbilt
Stadium in Nashville in less than a month, and they are
still going through their list of PSL buyers for their new
stadium in Nashville, with general public sales yet to come"
("SportsCenter," 5/19)....NFL VP George Young will oversee a
"career development" symposium for coaches today at the
meetings. In N.Y., Mike Freeman reports that "almost all"
the coaches and coordinators "will attend," adding that the
symposium idea "arose because of the lack of representation
of blacks among the coaching ranks" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/20).