Don't call them the "Los Angeles" Rams just yet.
Yahoo.com is reporting that among NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's comments Friday in advance of Super Bowl XLIX was the message that the league is not as gung ho about moving into Los Angeles as most media outlets have indicated in recent weeks.
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St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke created a stir when he bought 60 acres of land in Inglewood, Calif. with the intent of building a stadium and an entertainment district that one NFL source said the league envisioned as a "West Coast headquarters of sorts."
But Goodell denied that was the case.
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"We want all of our franchises to stay in their current markets," Goodell said, according to Yahoo! as he met the media as part of the buildup to the Super Bowl. "That's a shared responsibility; that's something that we all have to work together on."
According to the report, Goodell added that the league has stadium-funding programs and will work with teams and local authorities to try to help make community club marriages work.
Kroenke has put pressure on St. Louis to speed up a timetable for a new stadium that would meet his requirements to prevent a move to the West Coast. The Rams last week exercised their option to enter into a year-by-year lease, rather than remain in a long-term contract with the city.
"We have been working on the stadium issue with St. Louis, as you know, for several years," Goodell said, as Yahoo! reported. "We had a very formal process as part of the lease. We went through that entire process. It did not result in a solution that works for St. Louis or for the team."
The Rams aren't the only franchise that has expressed an interest in relocating. Both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers both have given thought to the possibility of moving to Los Angeles.
Teams require three-fourths of the league owners' approval to relocate.
Do you think Roger Goodell will influence owners to prevent the St. Louis Rams' relocation to Los Angeles? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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