(04-26-2018, 05:03 PM)NYC4jags Wrote:

Quote:That was Jaguars President Mark Lamping’s message Thursday when discussing news that Owner Shad Khan is trying to purchase Wembley Stadium in London, and Lamping said something else:

The move absolutely is not a reason for panic or concern for Jaguars fans.

“Jacksonville drives the Jaguars, not London,” Lamping said in a conference call Thursday.

Khan, the Jaguars’ owner and owner of Fulham Football Club, has extended an offer to The Football Association board of directors to purchase the legendary London venue. Khan confirmed the offer in a statement Thursday.

“For the Jaguars, it would deliver another – and very significant – asset and local revenue source that would further strengthen our investment in London, which as everyone knows is crucial to the Jaguars’ continued sustainability in Jacksonville,” Khan said in a statement.

Lamping called Thursday “a really good day for us.”

“This is significant because it does great things as an extension of what Shad is already doing in London, and it does great things to solidify the Jaguars position here in Jacksonville,” he said.

Lamping on Thursday also addressed the Jaguars’ long-term future in Jacksonville, emphasizing that the Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville throughout Khan’s six years as owner have invested heavily in what is now TIAA Bank Field.

“I would ask fans to judge us on our actions, not on what possibly their fears might be,” Lamping said. “Shad does business all over the world. When Shad bought the Four Seasons hotel in Toronto, some people were saying, ‘Oh, here it comes … the Jaguars are moving to Toronto.’ Obviously nothing like that occurred. Our behavior here in Jacksonville has been the exact opposite of what you would expect [from] an owner if he was planning to leave the market.”

Lamping said he understands fans being anxious over Thursday’s news “because fans in this market were subjected to a number of years where there were constant threats of the team relocating.”

“What I would remind people: all of that predated Shad Khan’s purchase of the franchise,” Lamping added.