Majestic Realty Has Resumed Relocation Talks With NFL Teams

Majestic Realty Reportedly Has Resumed Talks With Teams About Relocating To City Of Industry

Majestic Realty VP John Semcken Tuesday said that company officials have "resumed talks with NFL teams" about relocating to its proposed stadium in City of Industry, according to James Wagner of the SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE. Semcken since last fall had "maintained Majestic would not contact teams until after the Super Bowl" on February 7, but he said that he has "begun talks with NFL teams within the past two weeks." Semcken "declined to say which teams or how many he contacted." Wagner notes Semcken two weeks ago said that Majestic was "targeting the Jaguars and Bills, small-market teams that struggle to sell tickets." But Jaguars VP/Communications & Media Dan Edwards yesterday said that "no one from the team has spoken with" Majestic Chair & CEO Ed Roski or company officials. Bills VP/Communications Scott Berchtold did not return a message or e-mail seeking comment. Of the seven teams Roski mentioned as candidates, "only officials from the 49ers said they had any recent contact with Majestic" (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 1/21).

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT: Jaguars Senior VP/Stadium Operations & CFO Bill Prescott yesterday said that he is "encouraged that ticket sales in January are up 'substantially' over last January." In Jacksonville, Vito Stellino notes that "amounts to only a few hundred tickets because January is not traditionally a hot-selling month, but Prescott hopes it is a good omen." Meanwhile, Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver is "so focused on selling tickets locally that he turned down a league offer to play a home game in London next fall." Weaver "feared a game in London might have increased speculation that the Jaguars could move in the future and figured it was counterproductive to building the fan base in Jacksonville" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/21). Also in Jacksonville, Beth Reese Cravey reported Weaver, civic group Touchdown Jacksonville Chair Carl Cannon and former Jaguars OT Tony Boselli yesterday met with North Florida community leaders. Boselli also "gave a rousing speech" at the Clay County (FL) Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the County luncheon. Boselli said that Weaver is "committed to the Jaguars and to Jacksonville and has stated repeatedly that the team, despite lagging ticket sales, is not for sale." But Boselli added that the community "needs to back him up." Boselli: "It would be a shame, it would be a tragedy, if we woke up one day and the team was gone" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 1/20).