Current Disney CEO Bob Iger will put his clout behind the NFL’s expansion to Los Angeles.
Discussions for the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders to leave their respective cities in favor of the Los Angeles market hit hyperdrive on Wednesday with news that Disney CEO Bob Iger will be backing the teams’ move to Carson, California.
Jason La Canfora with CBS was the first to break the news, which is a game-changer ahead of Wednesday’s meetings with the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities up in the NFL’s New York offices. According to La Canfora, Iger, whose contract with Disney runs through 2018, will be chairman of Carson Holdings, LLC, albeit in the non-executive role, until his tenure with Disney ends. He will hire a new president for the company, to whom he will delegate all tasks.
Should Carson win the bid, Iger will have a hand in nearly every facet of the new stadium’s construction.
"Iger, who will remain as Disney’s chairman and CEO, will become the non-executive chairman of Carson Holdings, LLC and oversee all major initiatives with the venture, including stadium design, naming rights and fan experience, and will be responsible for guiding construction and operation of the facility."
News of Iger’s backing throws a potentially crippling wrench into the plans of St. Louis Rams owner Stan Cronke. Cronke has been working on his own project in the LA arms race, one that would move the Rams to Inglewood, California. According to La Canfora, many of the owners were already behind the Carson deal prior to the Iger news, though power players such as Jerry Jones were firmly in the Inglewood camp. For any team to relocate, 24 of the league’s 32 owners must agree – a 75% vote.
La Canfora has also reported that, once removed from his Disney contract that Iger will be eligible to become a minority owner in one of the Los Angeles franchises.
With the weight of one of the world’s most prominently recognizable CEOs behind it, the move to Los Angeles for both the Chargers and Raiders appears to be a matter of if, not when.
For those interested in more of the finer details, La Canfora’s article and Twitter timeline are both must-follows.
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