Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's stadium vision in Inglewood ultimately "swayed owners" to vote for the team to relocate to L.A., according to sources cited in a front-page piece by David Hunn of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Sources added that the owners came into yesterday's meeting "liking his plan better" than the opposing Carson project, which was recommended by the league's six-member L.A. committee (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/13). In L.A., Mark Whicker writes Kroenke won the right to move without using L.A. "as part of a hostage negotiation." His intentions "were clear, from the moment he seized the land at Hollywood Park, from his escape from the Edward Jones Dome lease that allowed the Rams to move if the stadium wasn’t considered one of the NFL’s top-tier facilities" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/13). YAHOO SPORTS' Charles Robinson wrote Kroenke "just pulled a move that has to be the envy of every NFL owner" outside of Chargers Chair Dean Spanos or Raiders Owner Mark Davis. Kroenke "wasn't going to lose." He arrived "ready to make it known to the NFL owners that he wasn't going to cave to the buddy network and favoritism that Spanos was counting on to get his bid through." He "had the votes to block the Carson project, and everyone knew it" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/12). FORBES' Tom Van Riper writes there is "one true winner" in the NFL's decision -- Kroenke. He was able to "use his financial clout to sell the owners on his vision for a slick stadium in Inglewood" (FORBES.com, 1/13). THE MMQB's Andrew Brandt wrote Kroenke was the "clear winner" last night "among a trio of losers" in Spanos, Davis and the city and fans of St. Louis (MMQB.SI.com, 1/12). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote yesterday "really was a victory out of Kroenke's wildest dreams" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/12).
READING THE TABLE PERFECTLY: ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne noted Kroenke handled the relocation process "the way you want to play Texas hold ‘em." She said, "When you’ve got all the chips, you want to be the guy pushing your chips into the middle, you want to go first. That’s what Stan Kroenke has done this entire process. Last year at about this time, Roger Goodell called up all the owners and said, ‘This isn’t the right year to relocate, this isn’t the right year to fight this battle.’ So the Raiders and the Chargers went and picked up their leases in their cities and said, ‘Okay, we’ll try again next year.’ Stan Kroenke went forward with his plans in Inglewood, which then forced everyone else to react to him, with his own money." Shelburne: "He had a vision for what he wanted. He didn’t wait for permission. He pushed his chips into the table. Everyone has been playing catch up. This is a game of musical chairs; there were two seats and three teams vying for them. Stan just sat right on down" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/13).
SPANOS SHOCKED BY DECISION: FS1's Peter Schrager reported Spanos was "not only crestfallen" over the relocation decision, but also "shocked." He thought it "was in the bag" after his "fellow owners, guys he’s known for 30 years, recommended his project." Schrager: "He thought this was coming to Carson. ... I know their ownership group is not happy" ("Fox Sports Live," FS1, 1/13). THE MMQB's Andrew Brandt notes the members of the Spanos family "have been what NFL leaders refer to as 'good partners' for many years." They were the "sentimental choice of the league to move." Dean Spanos "played the 'league loyalty' card in his messaging and had the recommendation of the league’s L.A. Committee during the day" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/12). Brandt added, "This was always sort of a heart-versus-head decision by NFL ownership. There was a lot of sentiment towards the Chargers and a longtime NFL family, the Spanos family" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/12). Spanos following last night's vote said about the team's future, "I’m going to take a day off tomorrow. I’m going to look at all options" (Mult., 1/13).
WHAT ABOUT BOB? PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote the owners' decision to pick Inglewood over Carson "represents a not-so-minor slap in the face" to Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger, who "personally attended the ownership meeting in Houston and lobbied the league to adopt the Carson plan." Iger "would have been directly involved in the stadium construction and marketing process, with the right to become a minority owner of the Chargers or Raiders" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 1/12). In N.Y., Ken Belson in a front-page piece notes Iger’s expertise and connections in the entertainment business "were not enough to reassure other owners that the stadium in Carson could outdo the proposal in Inglewood" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/13). THE MMQB's Brandt noted it was interesting that Iger "walked through a media throng and stopped to talk, while 'getting coffee,' in the middle of the day." Brandt: "It seemed an odd field trip, and his public lobbying on behalf of Carson, which he had already done in the meeting, seemed curious. Maybe, in hindsight, it showed some weakness on the part of the Carson project that Iger felt the need to take that stroll" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/12). Despite that, CSNBAYAREA.com's Scott Bair cited sources as saying that Iger's presentation "impressed owners in the room." Kroenke led off the meeting "touting his project and its merits, which proved to be the preferred site" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 1/12).
