The Bears — along with all 32 NFL teams and their respective owners, plus the managers of each of the teams’ local facilities — have been listed as co-defendants in a lawsuit filed in St, Louis seeking damages and restitution of profits since the Rams’ move to Los Angeles before last season.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the city, county and Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority are suing the NFL over the relocation of the Rams 15 months ago, seeking damages and restitution of profits.
“The Rams, the NFL, through its member teams, and the owners have violated the obligations and standards governing team relocations” because the Rams failed to meet league relocation rules, the suit claims in a 52-page petition filed Wednesday.
The suit claims St. Louis has lost an estimated $1.85 million to $3.5 million a year in amusement and ticket tax revenue with the departure of the Rams. It says the city also has lost about $7.5 million in property tax and $1.4 million in sales tax revenue, plus “millions” in earning taxes.
Included is part of a 2010 Post-Dispatch interview with Kroenke in which he said: “I’m going to attempt to do everything that I can to keep the Rams in St. Louis. I’ve always stepped up for pro football in St. Louis. . . . People in our state know me. People know I can be trusted.”
Expect similar suits to be filed in San Diego and Oakland, two other cities that have suffered from the NFL’s recent relocation moves.
