St. Louis Rams

St. Louis jury orders Rams to pay former running back $12.5 million in 2015 dome injury

June 13, 2018 By Bill Pollock

Reggie Bush was unable to slow down on the concrete, injuring his ACL

Former NFL running back Reggie Bush won a lawsuit over the Los Angeles Rams for an injury he sustained during a game in 2015 at the Edward Jones Dome between the San Francisco 49ers and the Rams during their final season in St. Louis. Bush suffered a season-ending injury that he claimed was the result of him slipping on a strip of concrete behind the 49ers bench. The jury awarded Bush $4.95 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages.

Bush was returning a punt when he was pushed out of bounds, and his momentum carried him past the bench. As he tried to slow, he had no traction with his cleats on the concrete. Two weeks later, the team installed foam padding over the exposed concrete.

The week before the Bush incident, in a game where the Rams were hosting the Cleveland, Browns quarterback Josh McCown also ran onto to the concrete and slipped into the wall, but was uninjured.

Bush’s lawyers argued he was in line for a three-year deal in that range at the time of his injury that ultimately ended his career.

Ex-wife of former Rams kicker Josh Brown told police of multiple cases of domestic abuse

August 19, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Josh Brown attempts a field goal against San Diego during a game in St. Louis in October 2010 (file/photo)

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports that former St. Louis Rams kicker Josh Brown had been physically violent towards his wife Molly, according to statements she made to police.

From the article: “Brown was accused by his ex-wife of pushing her into a large mirror in their bedroom, throwing her on the floor, jumping on top of her and pinning her face to the carpet with his forearm on the back on her neck. In a separate incident, he allegedly kicked a door off the hinges and into the arm of her son, kicked a chair into his wife and pushed her over a paper shredder.

According to documents that ESPN acquired, “Police were called on multiple occasions to their residences in Washington, St. Louis and New Jersey over the years, Molly Brown said, and she had a protection order against her husband in 2013. She said the order was later dropped because of progress they had made in counseling.”

The 37-year old Brown signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants. He has been suspended by the NFL for one game.

Click here to read more from ESPN.

Isaac Bruce and former Rams attract good crowd for final game at the dome

July 24, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Rams legends led by Isaac Bruce played in a flag football Saturday at the Dome to raise money for the Isaac Bruce Foundation and relive great memories from one of the most of exciting Super Bowl Champion teams.

Bruce was joined by members of the Greatest Show on Turf including Kurt Warner, Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Torry Holt, Ricky Proehl, Az Hakim, Mike Jones, and many more as well as other Rams legends.

The event gave the players a chance to thank fans and give St. Louis a chance to celebrate great memories.

: Torry Holt has his jersey pulled during the Legends of the Game. UPI Bill Greenblatt

: Isaac Bruce is introduced to the crowd. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

: Dick Vermeil. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

: Former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz (L) talks with his former offensive line coach Jim Hannifan. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

: Orlando Pace is introduced to the crowd. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Stadium plans to keep the Rams in St. Louis cost over $16 million.

January 18, 2016 By Bill Pollock

As work on overhead lighting takes place on the floor of the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, The St. Louis Rams Super Bowl Championship banner continues to hang from the rafters, one day after it was announced that the football team will relocate to Los Angeles. In recent years have had the lowest attendance in the NFL. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The final bill just to put a plan in front of the NFL and Stan Kroenke for a new football stadium in St. Louis, cost $16.2 million, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The article states that the public agency that owns the Edward Jones Dome paid 22 companies, from architects to engineers to financial advisers, to the law firm run by Bob Blitz, one of the two key players added to Nixon’s task force.

While the fans of St. Louis are considered the big losers, the big winners are architecture firm HOK which made $10.5 million. The attorneys, Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, charged nearly $900,000. Thompson Coburn bond and financing lawyers billed $760,000.

As I’ve stated before, I felt the stadium plan was flawed and lacked solid concrete solutions. It was a plan that was originally thrown together in 60 days after Nixon first appointed Peacock and Blitz to oversee the stadium project. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t see the new stadium as a viable option and that opened up a vote of league owners which ruled 30-2 in favor of the Rams leaving St. Louis for Los Angeles.

St. Louis fans sound off on #NFL decision to move to the Rams to St. Louis (VIDEO)

January 13, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Stan Kroenke and the rest of the NFL got what they wanted all along…an L.A. franchise

The Rams moving to Los Angeles is the best thing for the NFL. The sooner fans realize that, the sooner they’ll also realize the NFL is not about them. The NFL is about 32 men who run an entertainment business and they are looking out for each other. I’m O.K. with that.

You may call it greed, but I call it capitalism and more power to the NFL if they can continue to have success, even if that means moving a franchise.

The writing was on the wall back in February of 2014 when arbitrators ruled in the Rams favor that it would take $700 million to fix the dome. Governor Jay Nixon made a push to keep the Rams in St. Louis be appointing Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz with the task of putting together a stadium plan in 60 days. Nixon made that declaration nine months after the arbitration hearing and by the time Peacock presented his stadium plans on January 9, 2015, Stan Kroenke beat him to the punch four days earlier with his Inglewood, CA plans.

In my video below, you’ll hear from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Kroenke, who do nothing to hide the blatant fact, this is about them. I also share a mix of comments from St. Louis Rams fans who provide the common misconceptions of football fans. I’ll set them straight.

Stadium task force releases statement on #NFL decision to allow Rams move to L.A.

January 12, 2016 By Bill Pollock

The proposed new football stadium would be open air and located on the edge of the Mississippi River.

Today’s decision by the NFL concludes a flawed process that ends with the unthinkable result of St. Louis losing the Rams. Over the past 15 months, our stadium task force has delivered in every respect to what the NFL demanded of St. Louis to keep our team. More important, over the past 21 seasons, most of them dire, St. Louis has been remarkably supportive of and faithful to the Rams. We will leave it to the NFL to explain how this could happen and hope the next city that may experience what St. Louis has endured will enjoy a happier and more appropriate outcome.

Here in St. Louis and throughout our region, we are incredibly grateful for the energy and support we received during this journey. What St. Louis was able to accomplish in a very, very short time was, and is, amazing. That our collective efforts will not be rewarded, or recognized, is very unfortunate. We all deserve better, but never forget that we just showed everyone and ourselves what St. Louis is capable of achieving. The best days for St. Louis are not far away.

Rams are approved to move in a landslide vote by #NFL owners…awaiting word on if the Chargers will join them

January 12, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Stan Kroenke got his way. The NFL approved a move to L.A. for the Rams

The Rams are headed to Inglewood. That was the overwhelming favorable vote made by the NFL’s owners on Tuesday. The vote was 30-2, with only of 24 of the league’s 32 owners needed.

The San Diego Chargers may join the Rams, and have until Jan. 16, 2017 to agree to lease terms with the Rams. If a deal can’t be worked out, the Raiders can then try to work out an agreement.

The other proposal that was under consideration was a Chargers-Raiders partnership in Carson, California. However, there were reports earlier today from Houston that the six-owner relocation committee made a recommendation that the Carson project be considered with the Rams and possibly the Chargers as a co-tenant.

Not sure how or why those recommendations would have been suggested when Rams owner Stan Kroenke had already purchased land for his Inglewood site.

Since February of 2013, the day a favorable ruling was handed down to the Rams in an arbitration hearing over how much money would be needed to refurbish the Edward Jones Dome, I had expressed with near certainty that was the beginning of the end of the St. Louis Rams.

The sports commission in St. Louis wasn’t going to cough off over $700 million needed to spruce up the dome and later a half-cocked stadium plan from Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz from Governor Jay Nixon’s stadium task force never gained much traction and never had the support of the NFL.

According to Yahoo Sports, Kroenke is the second richest owner in the NFL. There was no way, his 31 counterparts were going to deny him an opportunity to improve his business and improve the NFL’s bottom line by getting a team back in the 2nd biggest market in the country.

Kroenke had proposed to build a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood. Earlier Tuesday, a Rams-only proposal was denied by the owners, which led to the joint venture of the Rams and Chargers.

Here’s a video from August, discussing the Rams stadium situation

NFL owners committee recommends against Kroenke’s Inglewood site, but Rams move is still possible?

January 12, 2016 By Bill Pollock

NBC Los Angeles is reporting that the six-owner relocation committee for the NFL has recommended the Carson, CA. site if the league moves at least one franchise back to L.A.

However, that site is proposed to house both the Raiders and Chargers.

The recommended proposal must go in front of the league’s 32 owners who must get at least 24 votes in favor of such of move.

The Chargers and Raiders have been committed to working with each other since they threw their hats into the L.A. ring following Stan Kroenke’s pursuit of moving the Rams.

Is there a scenario where the Rams and Chargers could move into the Carson site and special concessions made to the Raiders to help finance a new stadium in Oakland? That is possible.

Fred Roggin of NBC LA tweeted that sources indicate the Rams proposal to Chargers solid! Now it’s politics.

The voting was 5-1 in favor of Carson. Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt is part of that committee.

A vote by the owners is expected after a mid-afternoon break.

STL Mayor Slay sends letter to NFL’s Goodell. Starting to look like the clingy boyfriend in a relationship gone bad

January 7, 2016 By Bill Pollock

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay (photo/City of St. Louis)

I understand St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is sticking up for his city and his citizens, who tried their best to support the Rams during their 20 years in the Midwest. At some point, Slay, the fans, and local St. Louis media has to realize this is nothing more than a business decision for Stan Kroenke.

First, Slay points out to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, that he actually never met Stan Kroenke. Slay talks about the open dialogue he had with former owner Georgia Frontiere. The difference is that Ms. Frontiere wanted to move the team to St. Louis and this was her first and only priority…owning the team. She wanted to make this work from the beginning. Mr. Kroenke on the other hand wants out and has mostly likely been eyeing this situation since he took over majority ownership from the team. Was their ever a need for Kroenke to be friendly?

Mayor Slay is right that St. Louis fans are loyal and in his words, “when a professional team tries hard to succeed, wins more than it loses, and treats its fan base and community with respect, they will go to the games.”

The product that the Rams have put on the field has produced nine straight losing seasons, two .500 seasons and one winning record since appearing in their second Super Bowl. That won’t draw much fan support. However, lack of success is nothing new for the Rams, who have produced just 10 winning seasons since 1980.

Slay voices his disappointment in how St. Louis is being portrayed by the Rams and he has a right to defend his city and people…I applaud him for that…However, to then reach out and express an interest in discussing the matter further with Goodell, in hopes of keeping this thing alive…that’s where I have the issue.

The Rams have made it clear they want the relationship to end. The NFL will make up their mind next week. It does not look good for St. Louis.

If Mayor Slay was my bro, I’d tell him…when the girl sends you a text that it’s over, and says she sees no future with you, no matter how hard you try to show her the good things you’ve done for her, she’s moved on. Yeah go ahead, send her a text back telling her she doesn’t realize how good she’s had it, if it makes you feel better. But dude, you can’t go crawling back on your knees asking her for another chance. That’s pathetic.

Read Slay’s letter to the NFL

#Rams, #Chargers and #Raiders make it official. All three teams file for relocation. Owners’ decision comes next week

January 5, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Represenatives from the National Football League (L to R) Chris Hardart, Eric Grubman, Cynthia Hogan and Jay Bauman listen and discuss the St. Louis Rams possible move to Los Angeles during a town hall meeting at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis on October 27, 2015. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

As Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt suggested, the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have submitted applications for relocation to Los Angeles. Monday was the first day the organizations were eligible to petition the league, as required by NFL policy.

All three teams released statements:

“The St. Louis Rams informed the National Football League today that the Rams propose to relocate to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The relocation would be effective for the 2016 NFL League Year.”

The Chargers laid out their reasons why they wanted to move.

“We have tried for more than 14 years, through nine separate proposals and seven different mayors, to create a world-class stadium experience for fans in San Diego. Despite these efforts, there is still no certain, actionable solution to the stadium problem. We are sad to have reached this point.”

“In accordance with the relocation policies, the Oakland Raiders submitted a relocation package to the NFL. The matter is now in the hands of the NFL’s owners. An owners’ meeting is scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas on January 12 and 13, 2016.”

That is exactly what will happen now. The applications will be reviewed this week by league staff and three league committees that will meet in New York on Wednesday and Thursday. Next week, the applications will be presented at the league’s meeting in Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday. At that time a vote will take place. Relocation of a franchise requires the vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).”