In preparation for a "possible lawsuit" against the
Patriots or the NFL, CT AG Richard Blumenthal is asking MA
Gov. Paul Cellucci and "other top officials to open their
files" on the team's new stadium deal in Foxboro, according
to Mike Swift of the HARTFORD COURANT. Blumenthal's office
sent FOI requests to MA officials and agencies on Wednesday
"asking for public records pertaining to planning" for the
state-subsidized stadium. Blumenthal: "We have some
evidence that would support a number of theories, that could
support legal claims. But we're not, at this point, ruling
out or confirming any specific claim." Sources say that one
"area the investigation is focusing on" is the role Patriots
Owner Robert Kraft "played as chairman of the NFL's finance
committee." The FOI requests ask for "only one specific
document," a report prepared by engineering firm Rizzo
Associates that "detailed infrastructure requirements for a
new" stadium. The memo was dated April 28, while Rizzo was
working for the team as a consultant on the CT deal, two
days before it "collapsed." The team has said that Rizzo did
not produce the memo for them (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/22).
