City Of Las Vegas News & Rumors

Roger Goodell Talks Pats, Chiefs, China, Vegas

March 23rd, 2016 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

With the NFL’s owners meetings winding down in Boca Raton, Florida, commissioner Roger Goodell took to the podium this morning to announcing the rules changes approved by the league and to take questions from reporters. We won’t get into the rule changes here, but we’ll round up several of the more noteworthy comments Goodell made in response to those reporters’ inquiries. Let’s dive in…

Goodell confirmed that he received Robert Kraft‘s letter asking for the Patriots to get their draft picks back. However, after “considering his views,” Goodell has decided that New England’s Deflategate penalties won’t be altered, since the commissioner doesn’t feel as if new information has surfaced.
The NFL and NFL Players Association are not close – “by any stretch of the imagination” – to reaching an agreement on player discipline that would strip Goodell of some or all of his power and authority.
Goodell expects to serve as the arbitrator for the Chiefs‘ appeal of their tampering penalties, adding that he’ll make sure that appeal happened before the draft if the team pushes for that.
No discipline is expected for the Falcons and/or their coaches after secondary coach Marquand Manuel asked cornerback prospect Eli Apple at the combine if he liked men.
Although several reports have suggested that the Rams are expected to host the NFL’s 2018 regular-season game in China, Goodell said several teams are interested and no decisions have been made yet. However, he did confirm that the league will play a game in China in ’18.
Asked about the possibility of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, Goodell didn’t close the door on the possibility of having an NFL franchise there, suggesting that the league’s 32 owners would have a decision to make if a formal proposal was put on the table. The city’s economic reliance on gambling, and the potential impact on the NFL, would certainly be a significant factor in that decision.
While no decisions have been made on Josh Gordon‘s potential reinstatement, Goodell expects his staff to update him on the Browns wide receiver’s case next week.

AFC Notes: Browns, Pats, Raiders, Ravens

March 22nd, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was speculation late last season that Peyton Manning would retire and take a prominent front office position, perhaps in Cleveland. Manning has since retired and the Browns’ presidency is currently vacant, but it doesn’t sound as if the 39-year-old will end up with them.

“Whatever Peyton decides to do, and I have no idea what that is, I have not literally talked to him since wishing him good luck before the Super Bowl,” owner Jimmy Haslam, a friend of Manning’s, said (link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “Whatever organization gets him will be fortunate whether it’s a pro organization, a business, media, but I think we’ve got a great organization in place in Cleveland and we’re excited to go forward.”

Here’s more form the AFC:

Even though Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made an effort to persuade the NFL into giving back the first-round pick it took from the team as a result of the Deflategate scandal, club president Jonathan Kraft told Tom Curran of CSNNE.com that it’s a losing battle. On why the Pats haven’t sued the league in an effort to recoup the pick, Jonathan Kraft said, “It’ll take longer than the time before the draft happens and the money isn’t the issue here, the issue is getting your draft pick back and at some point you have to realize it’s not gonna happen and the best revenge will be putting the best team on the field next year and hopefully having a very successful season.”
The Raiders have made some major additions in free agency this year, but they swung and missed on landing safety Eric Weddle – who signed with the Ravens. Not surprisingly, then, head coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged Tuesday that safety is an area of concern for the club, saying, “[W]e need to acquire some people” (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Safety issues aside, the Raiders’ roster looks more impressive on paper than it has in years. However, the organization’s future in Oakland remains uncertain. When asked to update the Raiders’ situation there, owner Mark Davis said, “There’s nothing … I’m still trying to get something with the stadium” (link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). Davis also spoke highly of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as potential homes for the Raiders, as Maiocco writes, but he shot down the notion of relocating the franchise to St. Louis. “The Raiders brand is a different brand, I believe,” he said. “I just don’t believe St. Louis would maximize it.”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh suggested Tuesday that there would be competition at the left tackle spot going into next season, implying that Eugene Monroe isn’t locked in as the starter, but owner Steve Bisciotti sang a different tune. Bisciotti said “without hesitation” that the job is Monroe’s, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter).
In Ravens-related draft news, Bisciotti stated that he doesn’t expect the club to trade up from the sixth pick and into the top five, but he wouldn’t be averse to moving back (Twitter link via Zrebiec).

Raiders’ Mark Davis On Las Vegas, Santa Clara

February 6th, 2016 at 9:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday that the league wants to keep the Raiders in Oakland, but that isn’t stopping owner Mark Davis from exploring other options. The Raiders, of course, are in a standoff with Oakland regarding a new stadium, and Davis is looking around at other cities. He met late last month with Nevada businessman Sheldon Adelson about the possibility of moving the Raiders to Las Vegas. Adelson’s development company, Las Vegas Sands, subsequently tweeted that he and Davis “had a great visit.”

On Friday, Davis spoke highly of Vegas as an NFL-caliber city, according to Janie McCauley of The Associated Press.

“It’s absolutely an NFL city,” he said. “It’s an international city, it’s a global city. The Raiders are a global brand, so it’s got potential.”

On the other hand, Davis shot down the notion of relocating the Raiders to Santa Clara, where they’d share Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers.

“Again, I just don’t think it fits the Raiders,” he said. “The Raiders on game day, if you’re around our stadium, if you see our parking lot before the game, the tailgating, it’s probably the largest non-denominational gathering on a Sunday morning that you’ll ever find, and I’m not going to give that up. That’s just part of the Raider game day experience. I just can’t give that up.”

Before his death in 2011, former Raiders owner Al Davis – Mark’s father – participated in discussions about joining the 49ers in Levi’s Stadium, which was built with the capability of housing two NFL teams, Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews told USA Today last week. Mark Davis doesn’t seem willing to mimic his father in entertaining Levi’s Stadium as an option, so – barring a drastic change of heart – his club won’t be headed there.

For now, the Raiders’ lease at O.co Coliseum in Oakland expires on Feb. 17 and they’re in talks to extend it for another year, McCauley writes.

In response to Goodell’s stated desire for the Raiders to stay in Oakland, Davis said, “I believe he’s going to do whatever he can. I’d love to. We’re the Oakland Raiders right now, that’s where it’s at.”

While it appears Davis’ franchise will remain in Oakland this year, Los Angeles and Las Vegas are both potential landing spots beyond that. Whether the Raiders end up in LA will depend largely on what happens with the Chargers, who will spend the next year trying to work out a stadium deal with San Diego. If that proves successful, it could open the door for the Raiders to follow in the Rams’ footsteps and return to LA, where the Raiders played from 1982-1994. Should the Bolts’ bid to stay in San Diego fail, they’ll be the ones teaming up the Rams and it’s unclear what that would mean for the Raiders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Goodell, Raiders, Jags, London

February 5th, 2016 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell conducted his usual pre-Super Bowl press conference today, and even though he took questions from reporters for nearly 45 minutes, he didn’t provide many noteworthy updates. Goodell did drop the occasional interesting nugget, announcing that the Raiders and Texans will play in Mexico City on November 21, and revealing that he has recommended to the competition committee that a player who commits two person fouls in a game is automatically ejected.

When it came to questions about the NFL’s PSI study, stadium plans for San Diego and Oakland, potential changes to the league’s drug policy, and the NFL’s investigation into Al Jazeera’s HGH allegations, Goodell declined to get into specifics, offering only general answers. According to Goodell, the PSI checks didn’t turn up any violations, the NFL wants to keep the Chargers and Raiders where they are, the league doesn’t expect any marijuana-related policy changes, and the HGH-allegation investigation (in conjunction with WADA and other leagues) is ongoing.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

NFLPA president DeMaurice Smith says he’s “cautiously optimistic” that the union will reach a resolution with the NFL over a change in Goodell’s role in player discipline, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The commissioner was characteristically evasive today when asked about that issue.
Smith also projected another $10MM boost for the league’s salary cap in 2016 (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of Indianapolis Star), and and singled out the Raiders and Jaguars as two teams that are well below the 89% cash spending floor. According to Smith (link via Barry Wilner of The Associated Press), Oakland is $41MM below the threshold and Jacksonville is $28MM below. Those teams could be active in free agency this offseason to get to the necessary level, but they don’t have to be in compliance until March 2017, so extensions next winter for 2014 draftees like Derek Carr and Khalil Mack (Raiders) or Blake Bortles and Allen Robinson (Jaguars) could do the trick.
Sheldon Adelson, the new owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has installed Craig Moon as the paper’s publisher, and Moon’s early editorial decisions have had an impact on stories about Las Vegas’ proposed stadium, according to Politco’s Ken Doctor. With Adelson hoping to lure the Raiders or another NFL team to the proposed stadium, the Review-Journal has been forced to edit or kill stories about what could turn out to be a $600MM public investment.
The NFL came close, in recent weeks, to adding a fourth London game to its 2016 schedule, a source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). However, scheduling conflicts – not to mention the challenge of finding a fourth team willing to give up a home team – forced the league to put that plan on hold.

Community Tailgate: Where Will Raiders Play?

February 1st, 2016 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As the NFL offseason nears, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

As we enter February, two of the three NFL franchises that faced major uncertainty last month have some sort of resolution for at least the short term. The Rams are heading to Los Angeles immediately and will play at the Coliseum until their brand-new Inglewood stadium is ready in a few years. The Chargers will play the 2016 season in San Diego before making a final decision on their long-term future.

The only team without any short-term certainty is the Raiders, who appear likely to return to Oakland for at least one more year, but don’t have an agreement in place to play at O.co Coliseum at this point. The stadium, which the Raiders share with MLB’s Oakland Athletics, isn’t exactly the NFL’s most impressive venue, but it’s fine as an interim home, and I expect the Raiders to play there in 2016 while the franchise considers its long-term options.

Owner Mark Davis is in the process of considering those options as we speak — Davis paid a visit to Las Vegas last Friday to meet with a group of investors proposing to build a $1 billion domed stadium near UNLV. Additionally, ideas such as the Raiders building an NFL stadium in San Antonio or sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers have resurfaced in recent weeks as the Raiders mull their next move.

Of course, there are as many cons as pros for most of the Raiders’ potential homes. There’s major skepticism that the NFL would allow a team to relocate to Las Vegas, America’s gambling capital, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Texans owner Bob McNair would likely push hard to keep the Raiders out of Texas. As for sharing a stadium with the Niners, Davis has shown no interest in such a partnership.

Los Angeles is a possibility for the Raiders, but only if the Chargers ultimately decide to pass on a partnership with the Rams, and Davis would still have to reach his own agreement with Stan Kroenke in that scenario. If the Chargers head to L.A. in 2017, San Diego could be in play for the Raiders, though there’s some uncertainty about how the NFL and Chargers owner Dean Spanos would feel about that possibility.

London and Toronto have frequently been cited as potential homes for NFL franchises as well, though there’s no indication that Davis has explored international options yet. St. Louis, having just lost the Rams, would appear on the surface to be a logical match, but Davis has said he’s not considering St. Louis, and mayor Francis Slay doesn’t appear interested in pursing another team.

Oakland may be the best home for the Raiders in both the short- and long-term — Mayor Libby Schaaf expressed optimism for that outcome during an appearance on KTVU on Sunday night, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details.

According to Florio, Schaaf hopes to secure a renewal of the Raiders’ lease at O.co Coliseum and then move on to negotiations on a “permanent, beautiful home for those Raiders.” That’s easier said than done though, and so far none of the discussions between the Raiders and the city of Oakland have resulted in any sort of viable stadium plan. It’s not clear whether the NFL committing an extra $100MM to the project will change that.

What do you think? Should the Raiders do everything they can to make it work in Oakland, or is there another city that makes more sense for them? Where do you think the Raiders will ultimately end up, and where do you think they should end up?

West Notes: Raiders, Chargers, Kubiak, Stewart

January 30th, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the news plenty this week for their flirtations with other cities, the Raiders haven’t engaged in any formal talks with Oakland about a new stadium, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Although the Raiders have discussed another one-year lease to play in their current home, O.co Coliseum, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf confirmed no negotiations on a long-term playing site have occurred since relocation meetings took place Jan. 12 in Houston.

“I recognize that the Raiders have a powerful brand and that they will always have options outside of Oakland,” Schaaf said. “And, I remain committed to proving to them that Oakland has the most to offer them.”

The Raiders have been since connected to San Antonio, San Diego and, most recently, Las Vegas in their desperate attempt to leave Oakland and secure a new stadium. But Los Angeles will still be their most likely landing spot if the Chargers reach a deal with San Diego on a stadium agreement. They remain second in line to share the Inglewood stadium with the Rams if the Chargers end up succeeding on their leverage move in San Diego.

Any Chargers deal for a publicly aided new stadium will likely need to be finalized by this summer, Artz writes, in order to get the initiative on the November ballot. If not, the Raiders’ Los Angeles path clears.

“If the alternative is no deal in Oakland … or going to this fabulous new facility and not having to put any equity into it, it would be very hard for a reasonable businessman to turn that down,” stadium consultant Marc Ganis told Artz.

Here is the latest news on the Raiders and some of the other Western-division franchises.

In a memo sent to all 32 teams, the league notifies franchises that they shouldn’t assume the Raiders will be barred from moving to Las Vegas and no such restrictions exist on teams moving to a particular city, Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com reports. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes such a move would be extremely unlikely to receive the 24 required votes from fellow owners.
In a long profile of top Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani, who will presumably be involved along with Dean Spanos when the two sides resume negotiations, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Peter Rowe hears the Chargers were disinterested about the new stadium site when the sides last talked. This, of course, was before the owners designated Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood site as Los Angeles’ new football epicenter. “[Fabiani] told us the Chargers were agnostic when it came to the stadium’s new location — it really didn’t matter to them. He told us to settle on a site, spend your time analyzing these two sites and then come up with a financial plan. That’s what we did,” said Tony Manolatos, spokesman for San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer’s stadium task force, “and then he was criticizing us every step of the way.” Prior to the owners’ decision, this stance, county supervisor Ron Roberts told Rowe, was designed to make it look like the Chargers were “unloved” in San Diego.
Spanos overplayed his hand in his all-out pursuit of Los Angeles, Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune writes. With talks set to likely increase between the Chargers and San Diego after being dormant for months, Canepa writes the city’s business power structure need to put their weight toward making the team’s preferred downtown stadium happen.
When Mike Shanahan left his post as the then-Super Bowl champion 49ers OC in early 1995 to become the Broncos’ head coach, the 49ers wanted to give their OC job to then-33-year-old Gary Kubiak, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Kubiak instead accepted the same position with Shanahan in Denver and held that job for 11 seasons, which eventually led to his return in 2015.
Officially questionable, Broncos safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart each vowed to play in Super Bowl 50. While Ward’s ankle injury isn’t expected to keep him out, Stewart may have a harder time playing effectively. The first-year Broncos safety’s sprained MCL’s made it difficult thus far for lateral movement, with the former Ravens back-line bastion being able to only run in a straight line in his week off from practice, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stewart told media, including Pat Graham of the Associated Press, “Without a doubt in my mind, I’m playing.”

AFC Notes: Raiders, Vegas, Jets, Chiefs, Titans

January 29th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was a report Thursday that Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson would meet Friday to potentially discuss stadium details. That meeting did indeed happen, as the company tweeted that Davis and Adelson “had a great visit.”

If Davis does try to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, he’s likely to meet resistance from the NFL because of the city’s association with sports gambling, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole adds that the hypothetical Las Vegas Raiders would be a “windfall” for Davis because he wouldn’t have to put much money toward a stadium. Most of the funding would come from Adelson.

Here’s more from the AFC:

In November, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported the Chiefs and free agent-to-be Jaye Howard were discussing a long-term deal. Paylor updated the situation Friday, tweeting that the Chiefs and the defensive linemen “have maintained solid dialogue.” The talks are “fluid,” a source told Paylor. Howard, 27, set career highs in starts (14), tackles (57) and sacks (5.5) during the 2015-16 season, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him a terrific 24th among 123 qualifying interior D-linemen.
Like Howard, Jets running back Chris Ivory is also nearing free agency. The fact that the Jets are low on cap space and have higher priority free agents in Muhammad Wilkerson and Ryan Fitzpatrick could lead to Ivory’s departure, which the Pro Bowler acknowledged Friday. “They want to bring me back but like I said, I think it’s about the cap space. That’s going to be the biggest factor as to whether I’m back or not,” Ivory told Around the League, per Conor Orr of NFL.com. Ivory is coming off his first thousand-yard season (1,070), one which also saw him establish new career bests in carries (247), receptions (30) and touchdowns (eight).
The Titans have hired Keith Willis as their assistant defensive line coach, according to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). Willis, who played in the NFL from 1982-1993, had been the D-line coach for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes since 2013.

Raiders To Explore Move To Las Vegas

January 28th, 2016 at 7:46pm CST by Zachary Links

7:46pm: Davis will meet with Adelson on Friday to potentially discuss stadium details. Las Vegas Sands leads a group of investors proposing to build a $1 billion domed stadium near UNLV that would be the Rebels football team’s new home and possibly an NFL franchise’s as well, Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Las Vegas Sands has had conversations with other teams as well, senior vice president of government relations and community development Andy Abboud told Stutz.

“We are moving forward with the stadium concept with or without an NFL team,” Abboud said. “We see a lot more opportunities — conference championships, bowl games, NFL exhibition football, boxing, soccer, neutral site games, and music festivals. There is an entire segment out there. Nothing will move that needle like a new world-class stadium.”

Las Vegas Sands will pitch this idea to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee in February or March, Stutz reports.

7:32pm: The Raiders’ interest in a Las Vegas move is “very real,” Cole reports (on Twitter). Davis and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson have been discussing this for two years. The team’s been playing on one-year leases at O.co Coliseum in that time span and is negotiating another short-term arrangement in Oakland for this season.

6:50pm: Raiders owner Mark Davis offered an emphatic no-comment on a potential relocation to Las Vegas, via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).

4:44pm: Could the Oakland Raiders turn into the Las Vegas Raiders? It’s at least a consideration for Raiders management and a Las Vegas-area group, according to UNLV president Len Jessup (via Ralston Reports).

Jessup sent a note to a small group of UNLV-related people on Thursday to let them know that the Las Vegas Sands is pushing to build a brand new stadium in Southern Nevada for the school. Meanwhile, Sands leadership will host Raiders officials in Las Vegas to check out their “potential new home.” For his part, Jessup says that he would be very interested in a partnership with the Raiders.

“Certainly, if a public-private partnership can be forged that includes the development of a new special events stadium on the 42-acre site that has little or no cost to UNLV…then it is something we would look at very seriously,” Jessup said in the letter.

Of course, it remains to be seen exactly how serious the Raiders are about a potential Las Vegas move. Also, the NFL might be wary about moving a team to Las Vegas, particularly given the PR issues they have had in recent years. Trips to Las Vegas could lead to trouble for NFL players and the league will probably also have concerns about placing a team in a gambling hotbed.

When asked about the possibility of putting a team in Las Vegas in January of 2015, Roger Goodell did not totally dismiss the idea.

“I haven’t had any dialogue with officials in Las Vegas about how that could happen successfully for Las Vegas and for the NFL,” Goodell said. “A stadium would be a big component to that. I’m not sure that exists right now. I do understand the passion of the fans in Las Vegas and their interest in football.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Goodell On LA, Rams, London, Vegas, Saints

January 30th, 2015 at 7:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As is customary, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took questions from the media today during his Super Bowl press conference, and while a number of queries were unsurprisingly related to the DeflateGate controversy, Goodell also touched on some other noteworthy topics. Let’s take a look the highlights, via a transcript provided by the Seattle Times:

On the possibility of relocating a team to Los Angeles:

The ownership takes very seriously the obligation for us to vote on any serious matter, including relocation of a franchise. There’s a relocation policy that is very clear…[T]here have been no determinations of us going to Los Angeles, any particular team going to Los Angeles or going to any particular stadium. We have several alternatives that we’re evaluating from a site standpoint.

There are teams that are interested, but are trying to work their issues out locally. As a league, we haven’t gotten to that stage yet, and it will all be subject to our relocation policy. There are requirements in that policy, as you know, particularly as it relates to cooperation and working to make sure they solve the issues in their local market. I’m confident that all of that will be covered within the relocation policy and with our membership approval.”

On the Rams staying in St. Louis:

“…[W]e want all of our franchises to stay in the current markets. That’s a shared responsibility. That’s something that we all have to work together on. The league has programs, including stadium funding programs that we make available. We will work and have worked with communities, including St. Louis. We also will make sure that we’re engaging the business community and the public sector in a way that can help us lead to solutions that work in those communities…

(Rams owner) Stan (Kroenke) has been working on the stadium issue in St. Louis, as you know, for several years. They had a very formal process as part of their lease. They went through that entire process. It did not result in a solution that works for either St. Louis or the team. I don’t think the stadium is a surprise to anybody in any market that is having these issues. There has been quite a bit of discussion about it, and the St. Louis representatives seem determined to build a stadium.”

On placing a team in London:

“I would tell you that London has done not only everything that we expected, but more than we expected. They’re responding to the game better than we ever dreamed, with more enthusiasm, more passion…We want to continue to respond to that fan interest and if we do, we don’t know where it will go, but I think there is great potential in London for the NFL.”

On the viability of housing a team in Las Vegas:

“…I haven’t had any dialogue with officials in Las Vegas about how that could happen successfully for Las Vegas and for the NFL. A stadium would be a big component to that. I’m not sure that exists right now. I do understand the passion of the fans in Las Vegas and their interest in football.”

On the Saints ownership situation:

“I spoke to Tom Benson just the other day. He was going to the office as usual. He was in complete control and energetic, excited about getting to the office, asking about league issues. As you know, he’s been one of our more active owners in the league on various committees. They obviously have a dispute going on, which is always unfortunate. In this case it deals with succession as opposed to current management. Tom Benson is a man of great integrity and a man that is enthusiastic about the NFL, the Saints and New Orleans and somebody that has demonstrated to me he’s got complete control over what he’s doing to make sure that organization goes in the right direction.”

On the Bills’ need for a new stadium:

“I do believe that a stadium long term is going to be needed in that marketplace. I’m from western New York. I love Ralph Wilson Stadium, but it’s got to compete against a lot of these new stadiums that have a lot of very important features that that stadium doesn’t have. So they are going through that process. We will certainly work with them, cooperate with them, and if we can be helpful, we will.”

On the Chargers’ need for a new stadium:

“They do need a new stadium for the Chargers to be successful there long term. It’s one of the oldest stadiums in the league, if not the oldest stadium in the league…I’m glad to hear (the mayor of San Diego) has got a task force going. But they have been working at this for 12 years, and it’s something that we need to see tangible results sooner rather than later.”