In California, Scott Reid notes a Friday deadline "will pass" without the city of San Diego and San Diego County coming to terms with the Chargers for a new stadium, "eliminating any chance of the city holding a Jan. 12 special election on the project." But interviews with city and county officials, task force members, NFL and Chargers officials as well as documents related to the process "indicate that the pursuit of a new stadium in San Diego was headed off the rails long before" San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer "set the Sept. 11 deadline in July or even when the Chargers walked away from the bargaining table a month earlier." There was a series of "missed opportunities to get the process back on track," and the task force and city officials "ignored the advice" of NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman and other top NFL officials. As recently as April, city officials "thought they would have until June 2016 to put a stadium proposal before voters" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/11). In San Diego, Kevin Acee wrote under the header, "Chargers Enter NFL Season Like No Other" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/10).
FELL ON BLACK DAYS: In San Jose, Tim Kawakami writes the 49ers wearing their alternate black jerseys for Monday's opener against the Vikings is "yet another way the current 49ers management is distancing the current team from the icons and personalities of the dynasty days." Kawakami: "I'm not saying there's no reason for the 49ers to do this. They've already sold a ton of the black unis ... and this game will only bring in more dollars and sell more jerseys." But the "statement of wearing the black jerseys for the 2015 opener ... well, that's an eyecatcher" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/11).
CUTTING TIES: USA TODAY's Rachel Axon reported in a letter sent to the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation (OAF) last week, the Indian National Finals Rodeo "declined to continue its largest sponsorship because of concerns over the team name and the division it was causing among its members." The OAF was launched in '14 by Redskins Owner Dan Snyder with a mission "to help tribes." Ending its deal with the OAF leaves the INFR facing a "significant shortage before its largest event of the year." The $200,000 from the OAF represented its "largest donation last year," and its budget "is around $900,000 for this year’s event." INFR VP Bo Vocu said that the organization "accepted a sponsorship initially because it thought its mission aligned with that of the Original Americans Foundation." But he said that OAF officials "did not seem receptive to de-emphasizing the logo in its signage and offering more information on how it can help Native American communities" (USATODAY.com, 9/9).
