NFL threatens 'serious consequences' if no Vikings stadium deal is done
The stadium feud between the Vikings and the state of Minnesota was elevated to a new level on Wednesday, with Roger Goodell telling Minnesota governor Mark Dayton there could be "serious consequences" if a stadium bill remains dormant.
On Monday, a House legislature committee rejected the Vikings stadium bill. A day later, Vikings VP Lester Bagley said that "no action is a decision" by the state and indicated the team would be prepared to head out of town without a new stadium deal.
"There is no next year," Bagley said, via our Vikings Rapid Reporter Joe Oberle. "We still have time to get this done this session. We have no plans to come back here next year ... no action is a decision by the state of Minnesota. [We] need to get this done."
Per the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the NFL is "turning up the heat," with Goodell calling Dayton and NFL VP of Finance and Strategic Transactions Eric Grubman saying the situation is "ripe for change."
"I don't know if that means a sale. I don't know if that means a move. You have a very dejected ownership," Grubman said. "If a proposal were made that included some sort of relocation, I believe the criteria for stalemate would be met."
The stalemate Grubman's referring to is the requirement needed for a relocation of a franchise. The obvious landing spot for the Vikings would be Los Angeles, a city starved to land professional football and cash in on the booming business of football.
But it doesn't sound like the Minnesota government has any intention of backing down.
"It's disappointing to think the NFL or the Vikings are driving policy for Minnesota government," Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, told the Pioneer-Press. "They need to be willing to come back to the table and negotiate. The Vikings and NFL are in a much better financial position than our state.
"This can get done; we just cannot and should not simply give them everything they want."
Here's the problem: as Chamberlain alludes to, the Vikings and the NFL have all the leverage in this situation. They have the wonderful product, they have the good financial situation, they have other suitors and if the legislature lets the local NFL team walk, there could be riots in the streets of Minnesota.
Nothing's set in stone either way just quite yet, but it's obvious that the future of the Vikings in Minnesota hangs pretty perilously.
On Monday, a House legislature committee rejected the Vikings stadium bill. A day later, Vikings VP Lester Bagley said that "no action is a decision" by the state and indicated the team would be prepared to head out of town without a new stadium deal.
"There is no next year," Bagley said, via our Vikings Rapid Reporter Joe Oberle. "We still have time to get this done this session. We have no plans to come back here next year ... no action is a decision by the state of Minnesota. [We] need to get this done."
Per the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the NFL is "turning up the heat," with Goodell calling Dayton and NFL VP of Finance and Strategic Transactions Eric Grubman saying the situation is "ripe for change."
"I don't know if that means a sale. I don't know if that means a move. You have a very dejected ownership," Grubman said. "If a proposal were made that included some sort of relocation, I believe the criteria for stalemate would be met."
The stalemate Grubman's referring to is the requirement needed for a relocation of a franchise. The obvious landing spot for the Vikings would be Los Angeles, a city starved to land professional football and cash in on the booming business of football.
But it doesn't sound like the Minnesota government has any intention of backing down.
"It's disappointing to think the NFL or the Vikings are driving policy for Minnesota government," Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, told the Pioneer-Press. "They need to be willing to come back to the table and negotiate. The Vikings and NFL are in a much better financial position than our state.
"This can get done; we just cannot and should not simply give them everything they want."
Here's the problem: as Chamberlain alludes to, the Vikings and the NFL have all the leverage in this situation. They have the wonderful product, they have the good financial situation, they have other suitors and if the legislature lets the local NFL team walk, there could be riots in the streets of Minnesota.
Nothing's set in stone either way just quite yet, but it's obvious that the future of the Vikings in Minnesota hangs pretty perilously.
