Quote:As much as I appreciate Wayne Weaver, he never invested the kind of coin in this team that Khan has.  Heck, what Khan has spent or pledged on stadium renovations alone is starting to get to the point where it's almost the same as what Weaver spent just to become an owner.  Khan has a much bigger vision for this team and the city itself than most of the people who live here. 

 

I spoke to someone with the organization who told me about a dinner he attended with Mr. Khan the first year the team went to London.  This was the big sponsor event where they were schmoozing companies and giving city leaders the opportunity to pitch to bring businesses here.  At some point during the dinner, Khan was asked about the other elites in Jacksonville, and whether they bought into what he was trying to accomplish.  His response was that there was more creativity and big picture thinking from a homeless guy on the street than there was from the wealthy and powerful in Jacksonville.  His point being, we may have wealth and power here, but nobody is thinking long-term about where this city needs to go, and what it needs to become.  Khan has brought that vision to this city, and he's gotten buy-in, albeit kicking and screaming along the way, from many of the power brokers in the private sector here in Jacksonville. 

 

Jacksonville got lucky to find Wayne Weaver, who brought the NFL to our city.  I think we've gotten to see that with the transition to Shad Khan, the city has lucked out again as he's bringing the world to Jacksonville with his efforts.  There are still those who will complain because they want Duval to remain the Cowford of the south.  They hate the notion that this small market might grow into something more substantial.  Their minds are never going to be changed, but progress will continue, and I think Khan is doing his part to drive that forward.