NFL meetings underway, here is what is on tap

SCHAUMBURG – Los Angeles will be front and center today in this small Chicago suburb, as all 32 National Football League owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell gather to hear the latest from the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams about their L.A. area stadium projects and why they deserve the nod for relocation to the second-biggest market in the country.

After waging long fights to get new stadiums built in their home markets, the Chargers and Raiders no longer believe San Diego and Oakland can step up with suitable stadium plans, and are teaming up to build a joint stadium in Carson.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke is proposing a stadium in Inglewood, and feels he has relocation justification based on St. Louis opting not to honor a lease stipulation it agreed to upon luring the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995. Essentially, the Rams believe they are free agents no longer locked to any particular market. As a result, they are pushing a move to Los Angeles.

All three teams will state their cases to the league’s full ownership group at a special Los Angeles owners meeting today. The NFL could decide which teams move and what stadium they’ll play in by late 2015 or early 2016.

Today is a big step in that direction, as the teams state their cases for relocation and their specific projects and continue the process of forming alliances within the owner ranks. Keep in mind, in order to be approved for relocation teams need 24 votes of approval.

Here is a brief run down of what’s on tap.

10:30: The Raiders and Chargers will address NFL owners about their Carson stadium proposal. Carson point man Carmen Policy, on behalf of Raiders owner Mark Davis and Chargers owner Dean Spanos, will present the plan to owners for 30 minutes or so and then take questions from owners

11:30: (or so) The Rams, led by owner Stan Kroenke and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff, will update owners on Kroenke’s Inglewood stadium plan

After lunch: NFL owners will be updated by league Vice President and Los Angeles point man Eric Grubman and the 6-owner Los Angeles committee on a variety of Los Angeles related issues, including Carson and Inglewood plans and temporary homes while a new L.A. stadium is being built. In addition, updates will be given on San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis situations.