NFL owners thrilled by Kroenke's move
HOUSTON An ebullient Jerry Jones, one of the leading backers of Stan Kroenkes now-approved relocation to Los Angeles, gushed Tuesday night over the prospect of the Rams playing in a $2 billion-plus stadium in Inglewood.
Stan is a tremendous asset for the NFL, said Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Hes God-sent really. He gave us, and is giving us the opportunity with this great project, to do what we need to do in Los Angeles.
Its such a natural to have the Los Angeles Rams be in Los Angeles.
He also praised NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his role in steering the Rams out of St. Louis and to Los Angeles.
Our commissioner was brilliant in how he led the ownership to this decision, Jones said Tuesday evening, shortly after a second round of voting produced a landslide 30-2 vote in favor of the Rams relocation.
It has been apparent for weeks, months even, that neither the Carson plan of San Diego Chargers owner Dean Spanos (teamed with Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders), nor Kroenkes Inglewood plan had enough votes to be approved.
Jones helped break the stalemate. As the NFL owners gathered here in Houston, Jonens proposed an alternate resolution namely having the Chargers join Kroenke and the Rams in the Inglewood project.
Although the Chargers continued to balk, the league eventually approved a plan in which Spanos team has a year to join Kroenke and the Rams in Ingelwood. If the Chargers decide against that, the Raiders can then opt to join Kroenke.
Both teams were told by the league that they would be given an extra $100 million on top of the leagues existing $200 million stadium fund if they decided instead to build a stadium in their home markets.
As owner after owner checked out of the Westin Memorial City hotel here, they expressed how Tuesdays result left everybody happy.
This is a great solution, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said.
But where does this leave St. Louis, New York Giants owner Steve Tisch was asked. Out of luck?
Tisch paused, smiled, and said: Apparently.
Jones insisted that wasnt the case.
St. Louis, its not a vote against the city and the beautiful people in St. Louis, Jones said. The statement (to St. Louis) says: Lets get it better. Lets do it better. And lets have an NFL team in St. Louis. Which is certainly an NFL town without question. Let me make that real clear its an NFL town all the way.
Jones, who is a business partner of Kroenke in some non-football affairs, played host to Kroenke and the Rams this summer at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif., in what for all intents and purposes was an LA Rams pep rally.
Asked in Oxnard by the Post-Dispatch what he thought of the St. Louis stadium plan, Jones replied: I have no thoughts. None whatsoever.
In the fall, when the St. Louis task force announced it had reached a $158 million naming rights deal with National Car Rental for its proposed riverfront stadium, Jones chided the plan, saying that kind of money wouldnt even buy a lobby at the Inglewood site.
Even so, on Tuesday, Jones said the NFL can return to St. Louis.
It can happen, Jones said. Let me tell you right now, it can happen. Theyve got great leadership in Missouri a great state.
But for the NFL, the neatest, best thing that we could have done was to have Stan Kroenke lead the Rams back to the Los Angeles Rams, and all that great tradition. With absolutely the greatest plan that has ever been conceived in sports.
Jones disputed the suggestion that St. Louis never really had a chance to keep the Rams.
Thats not right, he said.
Just last month, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair told the Houston Chronicle that St. Louis was getting close to having an attractive stadium proposal in its efforts to keep the Rams. So what happened to that St. Louis plan, he was asked following Tuesdays vote.
No. 1, we have a stadium financing plan that provides for $200 million and they made a condition in their offer that we guaranteed that we would put up $300 million, McNair said. And we werent going to do that.
We had said we would consider doing something similar to what we did today (with the Raiders and Chargers) saying the teams would have access to some funds. Not the cities or the states.
He was referring to the extra $100 million, conditional on the Chargers and Raiders staying in their home markets.
And that could be used in a stadium project, McNair continued. But thats up to the membership to vote on that and approve it. None of us can go out and give anybody a guarantee that thats gonna happen. So that certainly did not help their proposal.
McNair, approached more than 20 years ago about joining the St. Louis expansion effort, is chairman of the NFLs powerful finance committee. He also is a member of the Los Angeles Opportunities committee and was among the yes votes when the committee voted 5-1 Tuesday afternoon to recommend the Carson site as the new Los Angeles venue for the NFL.
Even as the Rams are leaving St. Louis, McNair said he thinks the city should try to lure another NFL team.
I think they should keep trying, McNair said. Hopefully they can improve their situation and attract someone. I think the market is still there, but the stadium proposal just didnt meet the standards that the Rams felt they could live with.
If St. Louis lures another team, once again it probably wont be Davis and the Raiders. When asked if the Raiders will definitely be in Oakland in 2016, he said, No, I dont know where well be. We dont have a lease right now at the Oakland coliseum. Our lease is expired.
When asked about potential landing spots for the Raiders if they leave Oakland, Davis said, Im not going to go ifs, ands, or buts now.
But Davis has consistently said he is not interested in the St. Louis market.
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