Quote:So why did the NFL let him buy the Rams?

Because the NFL wants a team in LA almost as much as Kroenke wants the Rams to be that team.

 

Quote:But the NFL just wanted a team there and still does not know if they want the Rams to be that team.

They didn't much care at the time. They had a prospective owner willing to invest heavily in LA and give them an alternative to the train wrecked Ed Roski and AEG stadium plans, and they could figure out the rest later.

 

Quote:I'm not sure the NFL was too concerned about which team, let alone the Rams, moved to LA.

 

What I'm more curious to see is what Kroenke does if the Rams are not allowed to move to LA.

Tons of ideas have been floated around, but the most realistic imo, in order of likelihood:

 

1. Try and get whichever team(s) do move to LA to play in his stadium to avoid taking a financial bath on the land purchase, then sell the Rams--probably with financial compensation from the NFL above and beyond what the new owner pays--and sulk off into oblivion.

 

2. Explore moving the team to another city, probably San Antonio, for the 2017 season, then suck it up and play to an empty house in St. Louis in 2016.

 

3. Sue the crap out of the NFL, although he probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on because of option #4...

 

4. Move the Rams himself, independently of the NFL. He is allowed to do this, but he would forfeit any relocation assistance from the NFL. If the NFL moves the Raiders and Chargers, this is a scenario that would be nightmarish for them. One city cannot support almost 10% of the league's teams, and they'd almost certainly pull out all the stops, including offering another city up, ponying up big to get the St. Louis stadium done or just paying Kroenke to go away. If the NFL only formally moves one team, it may well be under a wink-nudge with Kroenke that they wouldn't try to block his moving the Rams using his own money.

 

Quote:He is not allowed to move out of St. Louis without approval from the NFL.

Yes, yes he is. Look up antitrust laws. NFL owners cannot collude to prevent Kroenke from doing what he wants to with his business.

---