The amount the city of Richmond has "been required to pay" the Redskins annually as part of the deal to bring the team's training camp to the city "continues to climb," according to a front-page piece by Ned Oliver of the RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH. The city's Economic Development Authority this week "drafted a $360,694 check to the team -- $75,000 more than last year, despite efforts by city officials to push the number down by securing additional sponsorships." EDA officials also said that they are "abandoning efforts to lease out empty space on the second floor of the building constructed at the camp, saying the rent they were asking proved unrealistic." Instead they "plan to build it out as an event space." The Redskins first practiced in Richmond in '13 and have "committed to eight years of camp" there. As initially proposed by Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, the camp "was a break-even proposition for the city, though many of the revenues that officials anticipated would offset the cost -- such as rent payments from the second floor and sponsorships -- have not materialized." The EDA's contract with the Redskins "requires an annual local contribution of $500,000 to help defray some of the team’s costs" to practice in Richmond, but the contribution was "intended to be covered by sponsorships and in-kind services such as lodging, meals and transportation, with cash payments as a fallback option." If the EDA "doesn’t make the payments to the Redskins, the team can stop practicing" in the city (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 3/31).
TEMPORARY DIGS: In L.A., Gary Klein reported the Rams and Cal Lutheran Univ. have finalized an agreement for the team to use the school’s campus "as a temporary training base." The Rams "will use the facility for at least two years while a permanent facility is being built elsewhere." The Rams stated that the team will "pay for the installation of two practice fields, a paved parking lot and temporary modular buildings containing offices, training areas and locker rooms on the northwest corner of the campus" (LATIMES.com, 3/30).
