Rams Owner Stan Kroenke continues to discuss last week's vote approving the Rams' relocation to L.A., saying the decision to move was "never personal" and his goal "always has been to create an exciting and long-term solution for the NFL," the 31 other teams and L.A. football fans, according to Jon Wertheim of SI. Kroenke said, "All of the previous L.A. stadium proposals were real estate development projects without a team. Most of the projects had different issues and never really got off the ground. With us having a team and with our real estate experience, it wasn’t a difficult concept. We believed we could help solve the problem for our 31 partners and bring the NFL back to Los Angeles." He added, "This is a big real estate development project with the stadium as the anchor. The stadium itself is 20–25% of the project. We are building a true entertainment venue and a city within a city" (SI, 1/25 issue).
WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY: THE MMQB's Peter King examined the six-hour span during last Tuesday's meeting in Houston that "changed the current course of NFL history." King: "How did so many owners who professed their love for San Diego chairman Dean Spanos turn on him -- and the committee of heretofore trusted veteran owners -- in the matter of one Texas afternoon?" A secret ballot and Kroenke's "jillions" were two of the factors. After the relocation committee voted 5-1 in favor of the Carson project, Steelers President Art Rooney II "gave his reasons for the majority" while Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt "spoke for the minority." King: "He was the minority." Privately, several owners "applauded [Hunt's] bold stance," because they felt Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson "was trying to ramrod the Carson project through." When the final details of both projects "were laid on the table for the owners, two owners not known for their loquacious leadership stood up to give ideas." The Seahawks' Paul Allen said that the owners "needed to consider the project -- that is, the proposal for the stadium and its additional amenities and opportunities -- more than anything else." And the Eagles' Jeffrey Lurie "spoke stridently for Kroenke." Those two men "influenced the room, and quite possibly portended what was to happen in the afternoon." Owners could vote for Carson, Inglewood or "Inglewood plus one other team," as Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones had suggested. King: "Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti said why not just combine B and C, Inglewood and the extra team. And because it was obvious the ownership felt Spanos and the Chargers deserved first shot, why not make “B” the Rams and Chargers in Inglewood? Bisciotti’s idea was embraced by the league." A source said, "Carson never had the ‘wow’ factor. The Rams’ project did. Sentiment for that project became a tsunami" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/20).
NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING: In St. Louis, Jim Thomas writes he was "surprised that Kroenke went so negative in campaigning" for moving to L.A. Thomas: "It struck me as almost juvenile, although his message apparently resonated with the league" (STLTODAY.com, 1/21). Also in St. Louis, Dan O'Neill writes under the header, "Losing Rams Should Prompt An Honest Look In The Mirror." O'Neill: "We already were living beyond our means with the Rams. We had no business getting in deeper, and we had no chance of going deep enough to match Kroenke’s pockets. ... It should make us sad that a city with so many good people, promise and pedigree can’t compete" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/21).
