NFL and Rams Settle St. Louis Lawsuit Over Los Angeles Move

By Jason Bolton September 02, 2024 09:09

Photo by Terry Pierson | MediaNews Group | Getty Images

At the heart of a 2016 lawsuit among the NFL, Rams, and St. Louis officials was one clear controversy moving any team with a gutted stadium project underway on both sides. The departure was a blow to St. Louis, which had invested such a team and its stadium, which they used as leverage for relocation but now remains vacant of any NFL teams. The city, along with St. Louis County and the publicly-appointed Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA), filed a lawsuit against the NFL, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, league owners of other member teams as well as former team executives Kevin Demoff & John Shaw over alleged breach-of-contract among several other items on April 12th. The plaintiffs contended that the NFL ignored its relocation policies and failed to ensure teams seek to remain in their home markets first before moving.

Key Players Involved

The principals in this litigation were the NFL, the Rams, and St Louis authorities. Commissioner Roger Goodell led the NFL party, and Rams owner Stan Kroenke was the prime mover. Kroenke, who had long known he wanted to move the team back to Los Angeles, was under fire from St. Louis officials and fans alike for his relocation efforts. The suit was brought by city and county officials as well as the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority, all seeking damages for what they claimed were financial losses suffered with the Rams' departure from Missouri in 2016, headed west to California.

Sobering Lessons for the NFL and Other Teams

The settlement, of course, had far-reaching implications for the NFL and its teams. It was a reminder of the legal and financial dangers that came with franchises moving, catching attention leaguewide as owners reevaluated how they handled any future requests to relocate. The case hammered home the notion of transparency and adherence to protocol in team moves. It acted as a warning for other cities if they were considering moving their team and ensured that very big-time economic impact reports would need to be done elsewhere.

A Look to the Future for St. Louis and the NFL

This settlement might open the door for further possible team relocations. While the Rams have a winning commitment to uphold in L.A., they'll be hard at work on and off playing surfaces. The team is also engaging the community and investing in infrastructure development to cement itself as a footballing brand within its vicinity. On the other hand, the NFL settlement is another powerful reminder of how complicated and secretive these decisions about which city teams will bolt for are at one level.

The lawsuit settlement with the NFL, Rams, and St. Louis officials closed a key chapter in the history of sports relocations. This stresses the need to follow known rules and demonstrates a risk when not. Though the financial compensation will cushion some of the blow to St. Louis, losing an NFL team emotionally and economically is something from which there may never be a full recovery. This potential landmark case may restart the NFL's reevaluating its relocation procedures to be more transparent when relocating teams at the expense of local fans.

It ends a bruising legal battle and establishes parameters for how the NFL or other major sports leagues process team moves. Then, and now, as the league grows, balancing those two competing interests will remain necessary to keeping a lasting marriage between big business sports leagues and their cities.