Professional football fans in Los Angeles have to be wondering where this sentiment was 20 years ago.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday applied the brakes to a developing story that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is exploring whether to move the team back to Los Angeles.
On Thursday, multiple media outlets reported that Kroenke bought 60 acres of land between the Great Western Forum and Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., which led to speculation that he could be starting the process of exploration.
The Rams' lease with the Edward Jones Dome runs out after the 2014 season and the team and St. Louis city officials are far apart on money the Rams feel is needed to adequately upgrade the stadium.
Goodell made it clear that Kroenke has not told the NFL what he intends to do with the land, and the league's stance is to ensure the Rams' continued viability in St. Louis.
"Stan is a very successful developer," Goodell said, as reported by NFL.com. "He has billions of dollars in projects around the country of real-estate development. I think, instead of overreacting, we should make sure we do what's necessary to continue to support the team locally, which the fans have done in St. Louis," Goodell said. "And make sure we can do whatever we can to make sure that team is successful in the St. Louis market."
Goodell indicated to Rich Eisen on NFL Network that Kroenke "hasn't determined what he's going to do with that property, and how he's going to develop it."
Goodell reminded Eisen that 75 percent of the league's owners would have to approve a franchise's relocation. That's what happened when the Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis before the 1995 season. And that occurred only after the St. Louis Cardinals relocated to Phoenix before the 1988 season.
Goodell is right in one sense in that Kroenke has not publicly stated how he intends to use the acquired land.
Then again, Kroenke or someone in Kroenke's employ has to know about the rumors of the Rams returning to Los Angeles, but neither he nor any of his representatives have come out publicly to dispel that rumor, either.
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