IRVING, Texas -- National Football League owners Wednesday scheduled a January meeting to formally consider proposals for moving at least one franchise -- possibly the Chargers -- to the Los Angeles area, but it's unclear if they will actually vote at that session.
The NFL owners, meeting today in Dallas, discussed the pending push by the Chargers, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams to move to the L.A. area. The owners agreed to meet again Jan. 12-13 in Houston to consider formal proposals, but league Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters he doesn't know if the owners will actually vote during that session.
Various media reports out of Dallas indicated that some owners expressed confidence that a vote would be held in January. If a vote is not held at that time, it would likely ensure that a team will not be playing in the Los
Angeles area in 2016.
The league will formally accept re-location proposals beginning Jan. 4, Goodell said.
The Chargers and Raiders have proposed a joint stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, while Rams owner Stan Kroenke is proposing a stadium for his team at the former Hollywood Park racetrack location in Inglewood.
According to media reports, Kroenke has had discussions in recent weeks with Chargers officials about possibly sharing the stadium in Inglewood.
Carson Mayor Albert Robles has discounted those reports, saying he has received assurances from the Chargers that the team is committed to moving to Carson.
He told KNX Newsradio in Los Angeles that a shift by the Chargers to Inglewood would be "not only a knife in my back but a slap at all Carson residents."
The Chargers have been asking for a replacement for aging Qualcomm Stadium for nearly 15 years and have acquired land in Carson where they could build a facility perhaps in concert with the Raiders. The city and county of San Diego have proposed building a stadium in Mission Valley, but there have been no negotiations with the team since June because of a dispute over the way an environmental study was conducted.
Goodell questioned today whether San Diego could put an adequate proposal together in time for the January meeting.
While no substantial plan has been put forth to keep the Raiders in Oakland, officials in St. Louis and the state of Missouri are trying to keep the Rams from leaving. NFL executives have described that plan as being further
along the process than what's been offered by San Diego.
Kroenke met with St. Louis officials Monday to get clarification on their proposal.
It will be up to the owners to decide which team, if any, will go to Los Angeles -- which has been without an NFL franchise for more than 20 years.
Today's NFL owners meeting took place one day after the city of San Diego released its response to concerns league executives had with a term sheet for a Mission Valley stadium project proposed by the city and county two months ago.
Among other things, the response from city/county consultant Chris Melvin told the NFL that a public vote on a proposed stadium project would be likely to pass thanks to Mayor Kevin Faulconer's strong approval ratings, as long as it included the backing of regional leaders and the Chargers.
Among other matters raised by the NFL, Melvin wrote that any litigation involving an environmental study for a proposed stadium site near existing Qualcomm Stadium would be resolved by the end of next year, that the city and county have strong credit ratings, and that any impact of a separate initiative that could shift a stadium project to downtown would be mitigated if the Chargers were in opposition.
The NFL also expressed concerns about a lack of financial details in the term sheet. Melvin wrote that the intention was to negotiate the specifics, but he did provide a framework regarding rent, ticket surcharges and parking fees.
