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11-11-2005, 11:52 PM
NFL Reaches Agreement to Return to L.A.
By JOHN NADEL AP Sports Writer
NFL, Los Angeles Coliseum Reach Preliminary Agreement on Return of a Team to the City of Angels
Paul Tagliabue, National Football League Commissioner, holds a news conference on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall after meeting with mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005, in Los Angeles Tagliabue met with the mayor to discuss professional football and the prospects of Southern California getting an NFL team. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
By JOHN NADEL AP Sports Writer
The Associated PressThe Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Nov 10, 2005 — The NFL and city officials have reached a preliminary agreement on terms to bring a team back to the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made the announcement Thursday on the steps of City Hall. But he didn't identify a potential tenant or speculate when Los Angeles might get the team.
He also spoke positively about a team playing at a facility proposed for the Angel Stadium parking lot in Anaheim and didn't rule out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a possible home field, either.
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As Tagliabue entered a limousine, he was asked if he could assess the significance of what he had just announced. He replied, "I'd rather not try."
The commissioner did say: "It's the first time we've had agreement on term sheets. We're one step closer, two or three steps closer. Whether it's 2009, 2010, or 2000-whatever, our goal is to have definitive agreements on all subject matters well before our league meetings in March."
The Los Angeles area, the second-largest television market in the country, has been without an NFL team since the Raiders moved from the Coliseum back to Oakland and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis before the 1995 season.
After announcing plans in the spring of 1999 to put an expansion team in the Coliseum, the NFL was unable to reach an agreement with the Los Angeles backers and instead awarded the 32nd franchise to Houston that October.
Houston businessman Bob McNair and his backers offered to pay $700 million for the new franchise and spend another $310 million on a stadium, making it the NFL's first billion-dollar deal. The Texans began play in 2002.
Tagliabue said significant progress has been made in the past year regarding the Coliseum. His statement came following a meeting with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and before a session with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle.
"I think the critical thing now is we're at the point where it's recognized, certainly by us, that the time is right," Tagliabue said. "We have to get agreements finalized. We'll be pursuing agreements in Anaheim. We're going to work with both communities for an agreement."
Rest of the article: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=1301766&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
By JOHN NADEL AP Sports Writer
NFL, Los Angeles Coliseum Reach Preliminary Agreement on Return of a Team to the City of Angels
Paul Tagliabue, National Football League Commissioner, holds a news conference on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall after meeting with mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005, in Los Angeles Tagliabue met with the mayor to discuss professional football and the prospects of Southern California getting an NFL team. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
By JOHN NADEL AP Sports Writer
The Associated PressThe Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Nov 10, 2005 — The NFL and city officials have reached a preliminary agreement on terms to bring a team back to the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made the announcement Thursday on the steps of City Hall. But he didn't identify a potential tenant or speculate when Los Angeles might get the team.
He also spoke positively about a team playing at a facility proposed for the Angel Stadium parking lot in Anaheim and didn't rule out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as a possible home field, either.
Top Stories
As Tagliabue entered a limousine, he was asked if he could assess the significance of what he had just announced. He replied, "I'd rather not try."
The commissioner did say: "It's the first time we've had agreement on term sheets. We're one step closer, two or three steps closer. Whether it's 2009, 2010, or 2000-whatever, our goal is to have definitive agreements on all subject matters well before our league meetings in March."
The Los Angeles area, the second-largest television market in the country, has been without an NFL team since the Raiders moved from the Coliseum back to Oakland and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis before the 1995 season.
After announcing plans in the spring of 1999 to put an expansion team in the Coliseum, the NFL was unable to reach an agreement with the Los Angeles backers and instead awarded the 32nd franchise to Houston that October.
Houston businessman Bob McNair and his backers offered to pay $700 million for the new franchise and spend another $310 million on a stadium, making it the NFL's first billion-dollar deal. The Texans began play in 2002.
Tagliabue said significant progress has been made in the past year regarding the Coliseum. His statement came following a meeting with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and before a session with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle.
"I think the critical thing now is we're at the point where it's recognized, certainly by us, that the time is right," Tagliabue said. "We have to get agreements finalized. We'll be pursuing agreements in Anaheim. We're going to work with both communities for an agreement."
Rest of the article: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=1301766&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312