Former U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton "sparred for more
than two hours" Wednesday with NFL attorney Frank Rothman
over league guidelines and the Rams' move from California to
St. Louis, according to William Lhotka of the ST. LOUIS
POST-DISPATCH. The testimony came during the third day of
the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission's (CVC)
$130M antitrust suit against the NFL. Eagleton is the
former head of FANS, Inc., which led the drive to lure the
Rams, and is "a key witness" for the CVC. Eagleton said the
reason NFL owners rejected to team's move in March of '95
and approved it a month later was the agreement to pay a
$29M relocation fee and make other concessions. Eagleton:
"M-O-N-E-Y, that's what changed the decision between the two
meetings, money." But under cross examination, the NFL's
Rothman questioned Eagleton about his role in supporting
legislation while a U.S. Senator that would have exempted
the NFL and other pro sports from antitrust laws, which
would have "set guidelines for team relocation that are
nearly identical to the guidelines now on NFL books."
Eagleton said he introduced that measure to prevent Bill
Bidwill, Owner of NFL's St. Louis Cardinals, from moving to
Arizona. In other news, Judge Jean Hamilton "agreed to a
key defense request -- that the jury not hear any evidence
about relocation fees or other issues relating to three
other NFL team moves. The judge ruled that because these
moves took place after the Rams moved to St. Louis, they
aren't part of the trial." U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt also
testified and said that he initiated contact with the Rams
in early '94 about moving (POST-DISPATCH, 10/9).
