Amid the excitement of the hiring of Jeff Fisher as the new Rams’ head coach, owner Stan Kroenke side-stepped questions about the team’s future in St. Louis.
A time line that will begin Feb. 1 could result in the team opting out of its lease after the 2014 season.
During Fisher’s introductory press conference Tuesday, when it was noted that fans are scared about the prospect of the team leaving, and asked what he could say to his customers, Kroenke answered, “I think this is all out there. The chronology of what occurs with the lease is public knowledge. I don’t think that for me to comment on that process is particularly timely. The city or the authority has within their power, they’re dealing with their side of it and they present a proposal to us by February 1.
“There’s a team in place that deals with all that, so we’ll see how that process sorts itself out. It’s a thing that takes place over time. As I said earlier, I started in St. Louis, in one year from now, that will be 20 years, so I’ve been around here a long time. Contrary to a lot of reports, I haven’t taken a lot of ‘jack’ out of the market. I think that’s what was reported. I have put a lot of ‘jack’ into the market.”
Asked then if he plans to be here for another 20 years, Kroenke said, “We’ll see how that process works out.”
During the time when Fisher was being wooed by the Rams and Miami Dolphins, it was reported that a potential relocation was a point of concern with the former Titans’ coach, who was part of a relocation when the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1996.
Asked if he wanted assurances the team was committed to St. Louis, Fisher said, “We talked about a lot of different things beginning with our visit up here and until just recently so I have a great understanding of the future and the future of this franchise right now at this moment is here in St. Louis.”
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