[Elvis]

Here's David Hunn's updated article:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... 56ad8.html

Goodell: $300 million for St. Louis stadium 'fundamentally inconsistent' with NFL policy

ST. LOUIS • The Board of Aldermen is poised to approve on Friday a financing package for a $1.1 billion stadium that counts on an extra $100 million from the National Football League.

But on Thursday, NFL officials wanted to make sure no one was taking league money for granted.

In a sternly worded letter to Gov. Jay Nixon and his stadium task force, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned that the league has no current plans to provide $300 million toward construction of a riverfront stadium here.

The NFL provides a maximum of $200 million to help teams build new stadiums, Goodell wrote. The premise that the league has committed $300 million to the Mississippi River stadium proposal “is fundamentally inconsistent with the NFL’s program of stadium financing,” he said.

The letter comes at a critical moment. St. Louis aldermen are set to meet at 3 p.m. Friday to vote on the latest version of the city’s financing package — a deal that changed at the last minute to give up city tax revenue in exchange for an additional $100 million from the NFL.

It’s unclear whether Goodell’s letter will affect that vote. Aldermen could amend the bill, introduce a floor substitute at Friday’s meeting, and — should it pass — schedule another special session for next week, in time to meet the league’s Dec. 30 proposal deadline.

They could let the bill, and the region’s hopes of keeping the St. Louis Rams, die. Without a new stadium here, NFL owners would have far less reason to block Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s efforts to move to Los Angeles.

Or they could do nothing.

“We are not changing this bill,” said downtown Alderman Jack Coatar late Thursday afternoon. “We are passing the bill as is tomorrow. We have the votes, and we’re moving forward.”

Moreover, Coatar said, Goodell’s letter isn’t particularly surprising. “Everybody that’s been working on this deal knows that these funding sources are not guaranteed,” he said. “This is the city’s proposal. This is what we’re willing to spend.”

Dave Peacock, chairman of Nixon’s task force, said local stadium planners have been clear from the beginning that the project is counting on private investment — including $250 million from the team’s owner — that has never been certain.

Peacock said Thursday’s letter, he imagines, is just the NFL being careful. “I think they are trying to ensure that no one is under the misperception that an aldermanic vote means a guarantee of NFL funding,” Peacock said. “But you’d have to ask the NFL what their motivation is.”

NFL executives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The issue arose just after midnight Tuesday. Coatar, hours before a board vote, sent a new version of the legislation to his colleagues.

The task force had been laboring for months to find the last $75 million in public money. But it kept running into problems with the league.

The task force first planned to use a $158 million naming rights deal, worth about $8 million a year, to back one final bond measure to pay for construction. But NFL owners argued that naming rights proceeds belonged to the team, not the public. So the task force sent that deal back to the NFL.

Then it tried to use an estimated $4.5 million a year in game-day tax revenue to back the bonds. But owners didn’t like that, either. Ticket taxes boost seat prices, they said, stealing profits from their teams.

So, on Tuesday, the task force sent ticket taxes back to the team, too.

The final bond measure, its financing much tighter than before, now rests on leftover game-day taxes, plus about $1.5 million a year in stadium rent, paid by the team for using the new facility.

The $100 million extra from the NFL — a deal Peacock cut in direct conversations with key NFL owners — was supposed to cushion the blow.

But Goodell’s letter on Thursday took Peacock to task for including that money in the city’s financing package.

The NFL, Goodell wrote, had told Peacock in a phone call after the board vote on Tuesday that such money was troubling to the league. “Although you acknowledged this publicly following the conference call, it does not appear that this information has been shared with the aldermen and the proposal before them does not reflect what was conveyed to you on Tuesday,” Goodell said.

On Thursday, Peacock sounded weary.

“We have received input from a lot of parties,” he said. “It has been challenging at times to determine what input we should follow.

“We just want to keep our football team. We have been trying to follow the process as best as we can determine it.”

NFL owners are set to meet in January to discuss team relocations. The Rams are competing with a two-team proposal from the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. Owners have said they hope to make a final decision then.

[Elvis]

Hunn Talks Goodell's Letter to Stadium Task Force, Says League 'Irritated'

Brendan Marks posted on December 18, 2015 09:54

David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday reported NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned the league has no current plans to provide $300 million toward construction of a riverfront stadium in St. Louis.

Hunn, whose report on STLToday.com can be read here, joined The Ryan Kelley Morning After Friday to discuss the letter and how it could impact the stadium plan.

We typed up some notable excerpts from the interview, which you can listen to in full below:

On Goodell's letter to the task force:

"I think it's another step...I don't think it's the NFL saying, 'The game's over.' I think it means several things all at once. In these last few moves...I don't think a single action is taken that means one thing. It means...the NFL wants to make sure that aldermen know (the league doesn't hand out $300 million regularly). I think it's also a sign of irritation. They've been asking the task force to produce $100 million more for a long time. The task force has tried really hard...the NFL comes back every time and says, 'That's not good enough.' I think the NFL is showing some irritation their. My gut says executives are irritated they were left out of the loop a little bit on this, that the task force was dealing directly with the owners."

"I think you could read the letter as being a little silly (because the G4 money wasn't guaranteed all along). The NFL wanted to make sure the aldermen knew the $300 million wasn't something they do. And wanted to make sure they knew before they voted on it today."

"Every single move that anyone makes at this stage is part true on its face and part negotiation. I think we have the NFL (covering their behinds). I think you have the NFL irritated...and I think you have them in negotiation mode."

Did Dave Peacock tell the aldermen there would be another $100 million available?

"Aldermen have told me Dave told them about the $100 million and about it being more than the NFL usually gives. Why is the NFL then (writing this letter)? They wanted this letter out, they wanted us talking about it this morning. (I think they wanted) all of St. Louis to know.

Do you think the vote will still pass?

"Yes. I don't think anything's going to change today. I talked to (one of the sponsors of the bill). He said, 'We have all the votes.' And I talked to Peacock and he said the same thing."

Listen to the much more in-depth interview here:

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/S ... tated.aspx

[Elvis]

French explains why the bill is going to pass:

[SoCalRam78]

Hunn Talks Goodell's Letter to Stadium Task Force, Says League 'Irritated'

Brendan Marks posted on December 18, 2015 09:54

David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday reported NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned the league has no current plans to provide $300 million toward construction of a riverfront stadium in St. Louis.

Hunn, whose report on STLToday.com can be read here, joined The Ryan Kelley Morning After Friday to discuss the letter and how it could impact the stadium plan.

We typed up some notable excerpts from the interview, which you can listen to in full below:

On Goodell's letter to the task force:

"I think it's another step...I don't think it's the NFL saying, 'The game's over.' I think it means several things all at once. In these last few moves...I don't think a single action is taken that means one thing. It means...the NFL wants to make sure that aldermen know (the league doesn't hand out $300 million regularly). I think it's also a sign of irritation. They've been asking the task force to produce $100 million more for a long time. The task force has tried really hard...the NFL comes back every time and says, 'That's not good enough.' I think the NFL is showing some irritation their. My gut says executives are irritated they were left out of the loop a little bit on this, that the task force was dealing directly with the owners."

"I think you could read the letter as being a little silly (because the G4 money wasn't guaranteed all along). The NFL wanted to make sure the aldermen knew the $300 million wasn't something they do. And wanted to make sure they knew before they voted on it today."

"Every single move that anyone makes at this stage is part true on its face and part negotiation. I think we have the NFL (covering their behinds). I think you have the NFL irritated...and I think you have them in negotiation mode."

Did Dave Peacock tell the aldermen there would be another $100 million available?

"Aldermen have told me Dave told them about the $100 million and about it being more than the NFL usually gives. Why is the NFL then (writing this letter)? They wanted this letter out, they wanted us talking about it this morning. (I think they wanted) all of St. Louis to know.

Do you think the vote will still pass?

"Yes. I don't think anything's going to change today. I talked to (one of the sponsors of the bill). He said, 'We have all the votes.' And I talked to Peacock and he said the same thing."

Listen to the much more in-depth interview here:

http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/S ... tated.aspx

These guys are all in denial. Stipulations of the G4 allow for a maximum of 200 million if Kroenke supplied 50 million more or 250 million. Yes, it's hypothetical because the team has to commit, but the 300 million is just fabricated garbage because it's beyond the G4 limits to begin with and is something the league would have to approve in a separate owner's vote, and there is no guarantee that will happen.

It's not only hyopthetical, it just isn't there and cannot be assumed in any fashion. They're passing a proposal on a budget that is short 100 million. They're killing their own plan.

[Hacksaw]

Yet the A-men will pass it.

[dieterbrock]

Just so I understand the spin doctors here.
Roger Goodell is saying, we have a program with a max contribuition of 200mill. We dont go over that number, not for any project

And the spin is, we dont go over that number, not for any project..... Which means ? Except yours, we'll change philosphy for your project

Good grief

[OldSchool]

Funny reading some of the complaints from the Loo crowd. Some are bringing up that the New York stadium got $300 million why not St Louis? That's really easy. The New York stadium was under the G3 program and for that program there was a $150 million cap. Two teams get G3 $150M each that gives you a total of $300 million. Rocket science I know and hard to figure out but it's there for ya.

[SoCalRam78]

Funny reading some of the complaints from the Loo crowd. Some are bringing up that the New York stadium got $300 million why not St Louis? That's really easy. The New York stadium was under the G3 program and for that program there was a $150 million cap. Two teams get G3 $150M each that gives you a total of $300 million. Rocket science I know and hard to figure out but it's there for ya.

Required a vote of owners as well. Oh, and those two teams happened to be from the NFL's biggest media market, New York. Other than that, it's the same thing.

[Hacksaw]

Funny reading some of the complaints from the Loo crowd. Some are bringing up that the New York stadium got $300 million why not St Louis? That's really easy. The New York stadium was under the G3 program and for that program there was a $150 million cap. Two teams get G3 $150M each that gives you a total of $300 million. Rocket science I know and hard to figure out but it's there for ya.

Required a vote of owners as well. Oh, and those two teams happened to be from the NFL's biggest media market, New York. Other than that, it's the same thing.

I think they think they are as big as anyone else in the NFL. Detail seems to come and go.

[dieterbrock]

Funny reading some of the complaints from the Loo crowd. Some are bringing up that the New York stadium got $300 million why not St Louis? That's really easy. The New York stadium was under the G3 program and for that program there was a $150 million cap. Two teams get G3 $150M each that gives you a total of $300 million. Rocket science I know and hard to figure out but it's there for ya.

Required a vote of owners as well. Oh, and those two teams happened to be from the NFL's biggest media market, New York. Other than that, it's the same thing.

And both teams have waiting lists for season tickets and have sold out every game for as long as I've been alive.
Pretty much the same as St Louis.
Only totally different