ST. LOUIS – The eastern side of the sports-loving state of Missouri is reeling after the decision by the NFL to approve the relocation of the St. Louis Rams franchise to Los Angeles Tuesday night. The oft-feared possibility of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who many in the state now consider a traitor, moving to greener pastures has become a reality.
“This has been the most difficult process of my professional career,” Kroenke said in a statement. “While we are excited about the prospect of building a new stadium in Inglewood, California, this is bitter sweet. St. Louis is a city known for its incredibly hard-working, passionate and proud people.”
Kroenke, a Missouri native, also said that bringing the Rams to St. Louis in the mid-1990s was one of the greatest accomplishments of his career. He insisted that his decision was not made out of animus for the city, despite the damning words of his relocation report last week.
“This move isn’t about whether I love St. Louis or Missouri. I do and always will,” he continued. “No matter what anyone says, that will never change. This decision is about what is in the best long-term interests of the Rams organization and the National Football League. We have negotiated in good faith with the Regional Sports Authority for more than a decade trying to find a viable and sustainable solution. When it became apparent that we might not be able to reach an agreement, it was then and only then that we looked at alternatives.”
Gov. Jay Nixon, who has been at the forefront of the effort to keep the Rams in St. Louis, stated he was obviously disappointed.
“Tonight’s decision is disappointing, and a clear deviation from the NFL’s guidelines,” he said in an official statement. “It is troubling that the league would allow for the relocation of a team when a home market has worked in good faith and presented a strong and viable proposal. This sets a terrible precedent not only for St. Louis, but for all communities that have loyally supported their NFL franchises.
“Regardless of tonight’s action, the fact remains that St. Louis is a world-class city deserving of a world-class NFL team. We will review the NFL’s decision thoroughly before determining what next steps to take. In particular, we are interested in their justification for departing so significantly from the NFL’s guidelines after St. Louis had – in record time – presented a proposal for a first-class stadium.”
Mayor Francis Slay of St. Louis echoed the governor’s sentiments.
“The NFL ignored the facts, the loyalty of St. Louis fans, who supported the team through far more downs than ups, and the NFL ignored a strong market and viable plan for a new stadium,” he said. “I am proud of our effort and what St. Louis was able to accomplish in an extraordinarily short period of time. I thank everyone who worked so diligently on this project, especially the Governor’s Task Force.”
Dave Spence, 2012 Republican gubernatorial nominee and St. Louis businessman, was more blunt in his take on social media.
“We got jobbed by dishonest people,” he said. “We did nothing wrong as a fan base. We showed up, we cheered, we supported a D+ product. In turn we got lied to, we got fed a bad owner that is more concerned with his ascent on the Forbes list of richest people.”
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, also noted his own dissatisfaction with the decision of Kroenke and the NFL.
“This is disappointing for St. Louis and for Missouri,” he said in a statement. “St. Louis is one of the great sports cities in America and a great city for an NFL team. Other teams should look seriously at St. Louis as a new home.”
