Zygi Wilf Says Vikings Stadium Situation Has NFL's Attention

Wilf Says Vikings Stadium Situation Has Become High Priority With NFL

Minnesota state leaders after a meeting with NFL execs on Monday indicated that it was unlikely funding for a new Vikings stadium would be considered during the '08 legislative session, and Vikings Owner Zygi Wilf yesterday issued a statement that read in part, "The seriousness of the stadium issue has risen to a priority at the League level. The Vikings and the NFL understand and respect the priorities and pressing issues facing the state, but at the same time, the stadium issue needs to be resolved in the near future. ... We look forward to advancing the stadium issue during the 2008 legislative session" (Vikings). In Minneapolis, Kevin Siefert notes the Vikings' lease with the Metrodome expires in 2011, and legislators are "unlikely to approve Wilf's plan for a $954[M] Minneapolis stadium until 2009 at the earliest." That timetable "leaves open the possibility that the Vikings' lease at the Metrodome will expire before a new stadium can be built, making the Vikings a candidate for relocation" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/5).