Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon yesterday announced that utility companies have "agreed to move power lines and railroad tracks" for a new downtown football stadium, "leaping the first hurdles in the effort to cobble together land on the north riverfront," according to David Hunn of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Nixon "applauded the 'concrete progress' represented by the nonbinding agreements, and also chided naysayers." It is "unclear, however, exactly how far Tuesday’s announcement advances the project." Utility leaders have long told stadium planners that the lines "could be moved." A letter of intent between the railroad and the St. Louis Regional Convention & Sports Complex Authority, which owns the Edward Jones Dome and would likely own any new stadium, "promises only to continue working toward a binding agreement and final engineering plans." The two "still have to hammer out costs, logistics and land ownership." Yesterday was Nixon’s "first public announcement on the subject since he appointed former Anheuser-Busch President David Peacock and current Edward Jones Dome attorney Robert Blitz to craft a proposal, in hopes it might keep" the Rams from leaving the region. Nixon yesterday said that redevelopment "is good for the region as well as the state’s tax coffers." Nixon: "This is a historic opportunity to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment to this area, build an iconic stadium that will stand the test of time, and transform these deserted streets into a thriving destination for residents, workers, tourists and football fans" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/11).
NEED THE LEAGUE'S HELP: In L.A., Austin Knoblauch notes Nixon yesterday "stressed that the project still hinges on significant investments being made" by the Rams and the NFL. Nixon "highlighted many of the actions the state and city of St. Louis are taking to try to move the project forward." He said that the NFL and the Rams "must provide the financial backbone for the stadium so it doesn't become a burden for taxpayers." Nixon: "We're going to need the NFL and the team to show us that they're willing to make a substantial investment in making this work, and on terms that will benefit not only the citizens of this region, but all Missourians" (L.A. TIMES, 2/11). ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner noted Nixon yesterday "mentioned multiple times his recent conversations" with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Nixon "characterized those discussions as positive and encouraging." Wagoner: "That's a good thing for NFL fans in St. Louis. But it also guarantees nothing when it comes to the Rams being the team that would occupy a new stadium should it get built." Yesterday's press conference "offered Nixon a chance to hammer home the urgency of it all." Nixon "made it abundantly clear that even if he doesn't know what the future of the Rams is, he does know one way to guarantee it: doing nothing." Nixon: "I'm not going to handicap this other than to say that if we do nothing then we're not an NFL city." Nixon has "taken great care to use the term 'NFL city' with little specific mention of the Rams." He mentioned the Rams a couple of times yesterday but "again shifted the focus to working with the league" and Goodell on "remaining an NFL city" (ESPN.com, 2/10).
COMMITTEE HEARING: USA Today’s Jarrett Bell said the memo Goodell sent to NFL owners on Monday about L.A. “spoke volumes about how serious the NFL is about not making a mistake" with the market. Bell: "Just look at how powerful the six-owner committee that will oversee this process is; it’s full of heavyweights. Furthermore, it draws a line in the sand if (Rams Owner) Stan Kroenke is going to move forward without getting NFL approval” (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 2/10). The San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami said the NFL's formation of the committee “speaks to Stan Kroenke’s seriousness about moving the Rams to L.A.” Kawakami: “The NFL is trying to get some sort of process for something they know is inevitable, because there will be a team -- or teams -- in L.A. in 2016. I don’t think there’s a doubt about it.” CSNBayArea.com's Ray Ratto said the league created this committee “so Kroenke will be under the illusion that these are the guys I have to schmooze to get the right to move to L.A.” ("Yahoo Sports Talk Live," CSN Bay Area, 2/10).
