NFL, Coliseum reach preliminary agreement on return to LA

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer

Friday, November 11, 2005

The NFL and city officials have reached a preliminary agreement on terms to bring a team back to the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made the announcement Thursday on the steps of City Hall. But he didn't identify a potential tenant or speculate when Los Angeles might get the team.

He also spoke positively about a team playing at a facility proposed for the Angel Stadium parking lot in Anaheim and didn't rule out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a possible home field, either.

As Tagliabue entered a limousine, he was asked if he could assess the significance of what he had just announced. He replied, "I'd rather not try."

The commissioner did say: "It's the first time we've had agreement on term sheets. We're one step closer, two or three steps closer. Whether it's 2009, 2010, or 2000-whatever, our goal is to have definitive agreements on all subject matters well before our league meetings in March."

The Los Angeles area, the second-largest television market in the country, has been without an NFL team since the Raiders moved from the Coliseum back to Oakland and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis before the 1995 season.

After announcing plans in the spring of 1999 to put an expansion team in the Coliseum, the NFL was unable to reach an agreement with the Los Angeles backers and instead awarded the 32nd franchise to Houston that October.

Houston businessman Bob McNair and his backers offered to pay $700 million for the new franchise and spend another $310 million on a stadium, making it the NFL's first billion-dollar deal. The Texans began play in 2002.

Tagliabue said significant progress has been made in the past year regarding the Coliseum. His statement came following a meeting with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and before a session with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle.

"I think the critical thing now is we're at the point where it's recognized, certainly by us, that the time is right," Tagliabue said. "We have to get agreements finalized. We'll be pursuing agreements in Anaheim. We're going to work with both communities for an agreement."

He said there have been no in-depth discussions on whether the region would get an expansion or existing team.

Tagliabue said last month that future expansion was unlikely anywhere but Los Angeles.

He also said it was important to make sure Southern California, the nation's top-ranked college team, was comfortable with any agreement, since the Trojans have made the Coliseum their home since 1923.

Tagliabue planned on meeting with USC coach Pete Carroll later Thursday. The commissioner met with Gov. Arnold Schwarzennegger late Wednesday.

Tentative plans call for the NFL to finance construction of a $500 million stadium inside the Coliseum, home to the Rams from 1946-79 and the Raiders from 1982-94.

City Councilman Bernard Parks said after listening to Tagliabue that he believes the Coliseum will eventually get an existing team rather than an expansion team.

"The NFL is going to have a say on who's going to come here. The Coliseum has no role in selecting a team," Parks said.

Asked when it might happen, Parks replied: "I don't know. Nobody's signed anything. They've got to say they're coming."

That being said, Parks expressed optimism.

"In my judgment, I don't believe these business people waste their time and money," he said. "They've spent a lot of time and money."

While Tagliabue didn't rule out the Rose Bowl, the Pasadena City Council voted 5-2 with one abstention last June to pursue a plan for the stadium that doesn't involve the NFL. Carson dropped out of contention in May when city officials decided to build a mall on its proposed site.

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NFL and Coliseum Agree to Lease Terms
By Sam Farmer, Times Staff Writer

The NFL, in hopes of an eventual return to the Los Angeles market, has agreed in principle to lease terms with the Coliseum and is working toward a similar understanding with Anaheim.

In a news conference Thursday on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said "very significant progress" has been made during the last year in bringing a team back to the nation's No. 2 market. The league's goal is to have two signed "definitive" agreements for team owners to consider at the meetings in March.

"We are one step closer, two or three steps closer, you can characterize it however you want," Tagliabue said. "Whether it's 2009, 2010 or 2000-whatever, our goal … is to have definitive agreements on all the key subject matters done well in advance of our league meetings."

Tagliabue did not give an estimate for when a team might return, did not say whether it would be a relocated or expansion team, and did not eliminate the Rose Bowl from the stadium derby, even though the Pasadena City Council has indicated it will not move forward on an NFL proposal.

After the news conference, an NFL spokesman emphasized that there is no leader between the Coliseum and Anaheim. Also, there is no signed term sheet with the Coliseum.

"We got close enough to start on a detailed lease, but we never signed a term sheet," said Pat Lynch, the stadium's general manager. "The binding document is the lease. We went straight to the lease."

Asked about the New Orleans Saints' situation, Tagliabue neither ruled that franchise in or out of the L.A. equation.

"We're not currently discussing the Saints in Los Angeles as a priority," he said. "We're discussing the Saints in Louisiana as a priority."

Also, Tagliabue has long contended that the Los Angeles area could be a two-team market.

It's unclear whether the league will actually take action on the L.A. initiative in March, considering the years-long process at various times has taken as many steps backward as forward. More pressing for the team owners are the unresolved issues of revenue sharing and extending the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.

Asked if the league had used L.A. for leverage to get stadiums built in other cities, Tagliabue said: "I think [that is] mostly a rhetorical idea that sells newspapers and gets people excited, but I don't think that there's much reality to it. I think that most of our teams have demonstrated for many decades that they want to continue their operations where they are. They have deep roots in those communities … and they've gotten things done without having to talk about Los Angeles."

Dude. Traffic is already horrible around here during baseball season, let alone to have football there.

But, to have a team in LA would be awesome.

As long as its not another expansion team. The NFL is a perfect size right now.

it's about 2 teams past perfect, but anything more than what they have would give them an excuse to add a team to every division . .. which would be horrible.

It really is. Four teams in each division. If they add two more teams it's going to screw everything up.

It will most definitely be an expansion team because the NFL charges about a billion dollars to join the club, and let's face it, those guys love them some fucking money.

(I hope its not though for the same reasons listed above)

I say that this falls thru. No team in LA. The city doesn't want nor need it. And as it is, the NFL gets more exposure there anyway from being able to offer the maximum number (of marquee) games to the viewership there, the Trojans (and (cough ** papertiger ** cough) Bruins) are sating the remaining appetite for (live) American football, and it would be a drag on competitive balance to add more teams to a one-tier league...

Now, if the NFL wants to take the plunge and offer its product on the order of European football, then a team in LA would be great. Say, a premiership, first division, and second, totalling seventy-five times - though not necessarily seventy-five cities (NY would keep two teams, maybe add another)) - that I could see making an expansion into LA (and Vegas, and Little Rock, and Portland (Oregon and Maine), etc.) operable.

My money on expansion will be LA and Mexico... there's a reason that the NFL has been working hard to get their product shown in that market. It would be a feather in their cap to be the first professional league from the states to have a team in Mexico.

The Saints will find a home in San Antonio... think that's a given.

LA can have the Chargers. I would really like LA to have the Chargers

From the AP today: “Terry Bradshaw acknowledged Tagliabue's efforts but said there is likely dealings going on behind the scenes to move the Saints "not necessarily to San Antonio, but more likely to Los Angeles and sell it to a group of investors there."

“Questions about the value of a franchise in Los Angeles began to be answered when New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson confirmed that he has received a written offer of more than $1 billion from someone interested in buying the club and moving it to Los Angeles.”

It seems strange that Taliabue is doing this right when New Orleans needs to find a solution. If the hurricane didn’t happen and they didn’t need a place to play next year than they would be here in Los Angeles when the stadium is done. Now who knows how this whole thing will pan out but it’s hard to believe that Texas would get two teams in a row when such a big market needs one.

Are Los Angeles fan bandwagon fans? Sure but it is the only market in this country that has two baseball, two basketball, and two hockey teams, with the NBA being able to put another team in the OC easily. New York can’t even say that, though really close, but they don’t have a football team either they just call them NY, kind of like what the Angles do. If the team has only one win at this point of the season, like say Green Bay, than they find other things to spend that money on. When you live in Green Bay and there is three feet of snow outside than living for only football makes just a bit more sense. Not criticizing living there, as I’m sure it’s a lovely place, quite peaceful, and very safe.

Its just ridicules that this market doesn’t have a team but those owners are greedy bastards. California will not put their tax money into subsidies the billionaire’s club thirst for stadiums. So when Houston said that the NFL doesn’t have to put up a half billion dollars for a stadium they left Los Angeles without a team for even more years.
Whatever, you would think that they would need this market but I guess not. So this might just be one of those empty promises.

[I]Rant over[/]

Paul Tagliabue has always been shady and putzlike in his nature of handling situations. Being from Baltimore, I am very much against his antics. Back during the draft lottery(if you weren't from one of the cities considered, you probably don't remember), but basically, all these teams had to do presentations in conjuncture with the city to the NFL. Well, apparently Baltimore (then named the Baltimore Bombers), and Carolina made the most convincing statements, and Jacksonville dropped the ball somewhere. Well, Tagliabue totally snubbed Baltimore, hence sending the current lineup in effect. I know, I'm biased, but one cannot deny PT's absolute idiocracy of a term as commish.

Matter of time...

wait, i thought the saints were talking about l.a. ...