On the heels of the Carson City Council unanimously approving construction of a $1.7 billion stadium comes this bit of information directly from the NFL league office in New York City.
Speaking to the Associated Press, commissioner Roger Goodell called both the Carson and Inglewood stadium plans “viable,” while saying both have a “great deal of potential to be successful.”
Carson followed Inglewood’s lead by bypassing a city-wide vote on its stadium project and putting the decision into the hands of the city council. Its decision to do so came a couple months after Inglewood also approved its plan unanimously.
Goodell’s statement is fine and dandy on the surface, but it really doesn’t change much here.
By virtue of approving its stadium plan—set forth by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke—back in February, Inglewood seems to have somewhat of a upper hand here. Construction on that potential two-team stadium is set to begin later this year.
The Carson plan, which is backed by the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers, will likely start construction a short time after Inglewood.
However, the timing of both plans being approved isn’t necessarily a huge deal here. The idea of either stadium getting built by the time the 2016 season comes calling is unrealistic. After all, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara took about two years to finish.
Goodell’s comments didn’t take into account the likelihood that the L.A. Coliseum or Rose Bowl would have to play host to at least one team in 2016 should relocation actually occur.
As it relates to the NFL’s end game here, the league has indicated that it will wait until much later this year to decide which stadium plan to support.
At the very least, Goodell is seemingly telling us relocation is inevitable by speaking out on both stadium projects.
Photo: USA Today Sports