MCCOURT INTERESTED IN NFL DODGERS OWNER'S INQUIRY ANGERS COLISEUM BACKERS.Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer Shortly after NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga commissioner Paul Tagliabue Paul John Tagliabue (born November 24 1940 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was the Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. stood in front of L.A. City Hall last month and declared that the Coliseum was ``the focus'' of its efforts to return to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , top league officials continued to meet with representatives of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt (born August 19, 1930) is an Irish-American teacher and author. to listen to his proposal for an NFL stadium and development project in Chavez Ravine. While the NFL and the Dodgers said Wednesday that the talks were exploratory and no more discussions are planned as long as the Coliseum and Anaheim remain viable, news of the talks left many Coliseum officials upset - as much with McCourt as with the NFL. ``When you get into bed with the NFL, you shouldn't be surprised by anything,'' said L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. , a member of the Coliseum Commission. ``But you don't expect this.'' ``It's disturbing and disappointing that the Dodgers have bolted from a united body politic BODY POLITIC, government, corporations. When applied to the government this phrase signifies the state. 2. As to the persons who compose the body politic, they take collectively the name, of people, or nation; and individually they are citizens, when considered , sports community, business community, USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. - everyone in Los Angeles who has coalesced co·a·lesce intr.v. co·a·lesced, co·a·lesc·ing, co·a·lesc·es 1. To grow together; fuse. 2. To come together so as to form one whole; unite: around the Coliseum.'' The meeting was one of two held between NFL vice president of strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Neil Glat, the league's point person in Los Angeles, and two of McCourt's lieutenants, Jeff Ingram and Howard Sunkin. The other took place in October and both were held at league offices in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . The meetings, first reported Wednesday by the Boston Herald, took place at the request of the McCourts, according to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. However, a Dodgers official characterized them as the culmination of two years of dialogue. ``I am a strong supporter of bringing the NFL to Los Angeles and have made it abundantly clear that I support the Coliseum as the site for the NFL's new stadium,'' McCourt said in a statement. ``Exploratory conversations were mutually agreed to under this premise.'' McCourt, who made his fortune in real estate in Boston, had repeatedly maintained that he had no interest in any development around Dodger Stadium. But a source with knowledge of McCourt's plans said acquiring an NFL team has been an objective since he bought the club two years ago. It is why McCourt hired Sunkin from the local political consulting firm Cerrell Associates to the newly created position in July 2004, vice president for public affairs, the source said - to navigate a deal through the political process. A deal proposal, according to sources, called for McCourt to turn over enough land to the NFL to build a stadium and 1 million square feet of retail space next to Dodger Stadium in exchange for the rights to the team that played in it. ``There are many what-if scenarios out there,'' McCourt added in the statement. ``None of those plans have been endorsed by me and so long as the Coliseum is a viable site, Dodger Stadium is not a competing venue.'' The Dodgers were concerned that some information has been leaked to the media and filed a report with police that documents were stolen, spokeswoman Camille Johnston said. LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. spokesman Jason Lee, who would not confirm if a report had been filed, said it is department policy not to comment on an investigation. Rumors of the McCourts' talks with the NFL had begun to filter out in recent weeks. Two Coliseum Commission members said Wednesday they'd heard of the discussions, as did Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. ``I made it clear that the depth and breadth of the community support in this city is behind the Coliseum,'' Villaraigosa said. ``I told him that any effort to bring professional football to the city should be with the Coliseum.'' The mayor said he was not told of other plans that McCourt is said to have discussed with the NFL owners regarding a major commercial-retail establishment as part of any new football stadium. ``I was not told about any of that and it's beside the point,'' Villaraigosa said. ``We are focusing on getting an NFL team for the Coliseum.'' Staff writers Rick Orlov and Tony Jackson contributed. Billy Witz, (818) 713-3621 billy.witz(at)dailynews.com |
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