AEG abandons plans for NFL stadium in Los Angeles
Anschutz Entertainment Group has abandoned plans to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, reports Sam Farmer, Nathan Fenno and Tim Logan of the Los Angeles Times.
AEG, a sports and entertainment conglomerate, was at one point considered the favorite to bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles, reportedly spending at least $50 million in its five-year involvement with the Farmers Field project.
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[daily_cut.nfl]"I think it's fair to say we have turned our attention to proceeding with an alternative development," AEG Vice Chairman Ted Fikre said to the Times.
Fikre also told the Times that AEG has informed Los Angeles city officials it will not seek an extension of an April 17 deadline to secure a NFL team to relocate. That deadline was previously extended six months.
Different stadium proposals for two other cities in southern California, Inglewood and Carson, have received backing from NFL owners. Last month, a $2 billion proposal for an 80,000-seat stadium was approved by the Inglewood City Council. Among the developers for that plan is St. Louis Rams owners Stan Kroenke.
St. Louis officials are also working to keep the Rams in the city. The NFL has yet to approve the relocation of the Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers or any other NFL team.
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Also last month, the Raiders and Chargers announced a shared stadium proposal in Carson in the event they are forced to relocate. Between that plan and Kroenke's involvement with Inglewood, the Farmers Field project was left without a NFL team attached.
Los Angeles has not had an NFL team since 1994, before the Rams left for St. Louis and the Raiders for Oakland.
- Mike Fiammetta
