A new relocation requirement sent to the Rams, Raiders and Chargers "could impact the sale of minority interest in either the Chargers or Raiders" to Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger should the teams relocate to Carson, according to Scott Reid of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The league "sent the three teams a new draft of requirements" the clubs needed to sign by this past weekend "to be considered for relocation." One of the requirements is a "so-called flip back tax in which teams must agree to pay" the NFL 20% of any revenue from the "sale of a portion of the franchise after relocating." Iger can "purchase interest in either the Chargers or Raiders should they relocate as part of an agreement in which he will serve as chairman of Carson Holdings." The NFL’s six-owner Committee on L.A. Opportunities is "scheduled to meet" today in Houston to "consider the relocation applications in advance of a special meeting of all 32 league owners" tomorrow and Wednesday (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/9).
COST CONCERNS? Meanwhile, Reid notes the final price tag for Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's Inglewood stadium "could reach" $2.66B. The stadium cost after financing is $800M more than the previously reported cost for the stadium, and "would make it the most expensive stadium ever built" by more than $1B (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/11). In L.A., Nathan Fenno noted former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge "reiterated his reservations about the proposed Inglewood stadium" in a letter to Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, who sits on the L.A. committee. The letter noted the FAA's "concern that the stadium could interfere with radar" at nearby LAX and "called for public hearings about safety and security before league owners select a stadium site." Fenno noted AEG last March "dropped longstanding plans" for its Farmers Field project, but the Inglewood plan "could be in direct competition with AEG's showcase L.A. Live complex." Ridge "remains a security consultant" for AEG. Asked if AEG had "any connection to the letter, a company spokesman cited its policy not to discuss other L.A.-related stadium projects." When asked if Ridge wrote the letter at the behest of AEG or another party, his spokesperson "didn't provide a direct answer." The spokesperson said of Ridge, "He continues to believe the Inglewood site is the wrong choice for a new NFL stadium" (L.A. TIMES, 1/9).
NOT VIABLE PLANS: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday in a memo to all 32 teams wrote that the current stadiums in Oakland, St. Louis and San Diego are "'unsatisfactory and inadequate,' and the proposed solutions are not viable to keep the Raiders, Rams and Chargers in their home markets." In L.A., Farmer & Fenno noted the intent of the 48-page report is to "establish facts about the home markets, as the league views them," heading into this week's special meetings. The report "establishes that the home markets have failed to provide stadium solutions." Goodell does "not make any recommendations about which club or clubs should be approved to relocate, or which stadium project -- Carson or Inglewood -- should be approved." In the report, Goodell writes each of the home markets had "ample opportunity but did not develop their proposals sufficiently to ensure the retention of its NFL team." The report also says that "none of the three clubs has received a stadium proposal that is free of any contingencies and presents a viable long-term solution." Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones following an owners meeting last week in N.Y. "sent a one-page letter to Goodell saying that he supports the Chargers and Rams sharing the Inglewood stadium." A source said that the letter "didn't mention the Raiders" (L.A. TIMES, 1/10).
SIGN OF THINGS TO COME? The AP's Barry Wilner wrote the report "is a requirement of the NFL's relocation procedures," and it "seems damning for St. Louis" (AP, 1/9). The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER's Reid notes Goodell’s memo "clears what until recently appeared to be a potential major obstacle to Kroenke’s relocation plans: a viable stadium option in St. Louis." League staff and "several influential owners have cooled on the St. Louis proposal in recent weeks" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/10). In St. Louis, Benjamin Hochman wrote under the header, "NFL Gives St. Louis The Shaft." The way Kroenke and Goodell have "referred to this thing, it’s as if St. Louis’ stadium plan is just a bad as not having a stadium plan at all" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/10).
FULL CHARGE: In San Diego, Dan McSwain noted Iger is a "rich man, yet buying a large share of the Chargers would require a backer." McSwain: "[AEG Chair Phil] Anschutz, perhaps?" Instead of "investing in a suburb, Iger may perceive more value in a team situated" in L.A. proper, where city officials "badly want to expand their convention center, build hotels and extend a recent surge in development activity after decades of blight." For context, the Chargers' option on the Carson site "expires in April" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/10).
