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Missouri Governor Appoints Team to Help Keep Rams in St. Louis

Acknowledging that there is a potential that the St. Louis Rams may leave Missouri following the 2014 season, Governor Jay Nixon has appointed two local leaders to help find a way to keep the team from moving.

Former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz will lead the search for potential financing options as it relates to a new venue for the Rams (via Fox Sports).

Under a clause in the Rams original agreement with the Edward Jones Dome, the franchise has a opt-out option following this season should the venue not be considered one of the top-eight stadiums in the NFL.

This comes on the heels of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission rejecting a proposal from the Rams to use $700 million in public funds to upgrade the team’s current venue.

Nixon did indicate that there is a necessity to acquire private funds in order to build a new stadium. This blurb comes directly from Fox Sports.

Nixon stressed the importance of finding private funds and protecting taxpayers while ensuring St. Louis keeps the prestige inherent in being an “NFL city.” He noted no one is more knowledgable about the details of the franchise’s contract than Blitz, who was part of the group that helped the Rams move nearly 20 years ago.

That makes it much more difficult for the team and the city to come to some sort of conclusion prior to the January 28 deadline for the Rams to opt out of their lease with the Edward Jones dome, which would set into motion a potential move to a new city next season.

It goes without saying that the Raiders and Rams have been mentioned as strong possibilities to move back to Los Angeles following this year. These rumors have heated up in recent months with a select group of powerful owners set to potentially discuss relocation in a meeting this month before all 32 owners meet multiple times in December, at which point relocation will likely be on the docket.

Photo: Associated Press

 

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