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What were the watchwords from yesterday? Process? Next steps? Yeah, that stuff.
Today, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon will provide an update on the land identified for a new NFL stadium in St. Louis, chiefly revolving the railroad and energy grid challenges. Per the P-D's report, both Ameren Missouri (a local energy conglomerate) and the Terminal Railroad Association have "cut deals" with the necessary parties to move forward with the stadium proposal. Those are two big hurdles seemingly passed, but certainly not the only ones.
What does it really mean? Only that the effort to keep NFL football in St. Louis is real. It has legs. Unlike previous proposals that were dropped in a lake and floated off into the mist, this proposal has momentum behind it. Of course, there's still one big issue left to really nail down...
They've got all the details worked out now for the new St. Louis NFL stadium ... except how to pay for it.
— ryan van bibber (@justRVB) February 10, 2015
Yeah that. Part of the problem is that what would constitute some normalcy in this process would require Stan Kroenke to come to the table to hammer out the details on the financing. He's got not reason to do that at the moment as he holds the keys right now.
Missouri governor moving quickly to purchase land for new St. Louis Rams stadium. Once again, no team in LA = NFL owner leverage.
— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) February 10, 2015
Kroenke's not going to come back to the table to even approach discussions until the state starts bending on its initial financing proposal which called for $200m from the Rams which would be matched by the NFL. That's not happening. But in order for negotiations to actually take place (with some sincerity), St. Louis and the NFL are going to have to bring Kroenke back to the table.
Process next steps momentum proposal.