NFL's Approval Process Of Rams Sale To Khan Officially Under Way

The Rams "turned in their signed agreement" with prospective Owner Shahid Khan Thursday night to the NFL, "meaning the sale approval process is officially under way," according to Jim Thomas of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. All indications are that Khan "will have little trouble coming up" with the funds to complete the purchase, though NFL sources indicated that "it's quite possible Khan could add a limited partner or two to his group -- not because he needs to but because he wants to." Those close to the prospective owner are "confident he will have no problem in this setting and under this scrutiny" from other NFL owners during the approval process. One league source said Khan "won't run at the first sign of problems." The NFL could approve Khan at the May owners meetings in Dallas, but if "there is a hiccup or two, the approval process could spill over into the summer." Rams investor Stan Kroenke still owns the option to match Khan's offer for the team, but "there is a sense among those familiar with the sale that Kroenke won't be an obstacle." But Kroenke, who owns 40% of the Rams, has yet to indicate what he plans to do, and "no one knows for sure until Kroenke declares his intentions." He has "60 days to do so, and since the Khan vetting process will be going on over this time anyway, Kroenke doesn't have to be in a hurry with his decision" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/13).

NOT SO FAST: ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reported while "most have assumed that the purchase from the Rosenbloom family is a done deal," the nine-member NFL finance committee still "has plenty of questions." One committee member said, "There's still a lot of very close scrutiny left. The committee will conduct due diligence to (the hilt)." Pasquarelli noted Khan "faces questions on a variety of subjects," including Kroenke's 40% stake and the lease at Edward Jones Dome. Pasquarelli: "Will the franchise remain in St. Louis long-term? And what about Khan's dealings with the IRS, to whom he had paid millions to settle a tax dispute (at least temporarily)?" (ESPN.com, 2/12). But in St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz noted if "Khan's finances check out, he should be fine." Khan, born in Pakistan, would become the first minority in control of an NFL franchise, and the league likely "would be proud to open the doors to its inner sanctum to Khan -- an ambitious, self-made man who represents the American dream" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/14).

WHO IS SHAHID KHAN? In St. Louis, Kevin McDermott noted people close to Khan "say to expect a hands-on approach, stopping somewhere short of meddlesome," and he "won't spend lavishly." The picture of Khan is "one of contrasts: Low-key and unassuming, but enthusiastically involved in community life." He is "generous with his time and money, but intensely competitive as a businessman and sports fan." Khan is "accessible to his factory workers" at Illinois-based auto-parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate, but "not to the reporters at Forbes magazine and other national media." The Illinois native owns a Champaign-area aviation service and a country club in Urbana, and he and his wife Ann "support Republican politicians, but not nearly as zealously as they do athletics and philanthropy" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/14). Also in St. Louis, Jeff Gordon wrote Khan will "need to be involved, but not meddlesome" as a Rams owner. He should "work with business and political leaders to build a new football-only stadium as the Edward Jones Dome becomes obsolete" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/13).