PA Season Ticket Holder
06-23-2003, 07:48 PM
Word around the league is that the NFL might be using the Colts' continued presence in Indianapolis as leverage to secure favorable treatment of owner Jim Irsay, who is mired in an ongoing prescription drug controversy.
If it's occurring, it's not surprising. The N.F.L. is known to have a touch of the O.C.D. when it comes to the league's image, and any owner would expect the league to help shield him/her from public embarrassment and/or criminal sanction, if there was a way to pull it off.
And, in the Colts, the league has the ultimate leverage.
The logic is simple. The league needs to put a team in L.A. in order to keep its network cash cow nestled snug in the barn. The Colts are one of the candidates to mollify the folks at Fox, CBS, and ABC. If the locals provide sufficient funding for an appropriate new venue for the team -- and if they look the other way regarding any potential violations of the law that Irsay might have committed -- the Colts would stay put.
The problem, of course, is that the feds have been involved in the investigation, and they're probably less likely to exercise their discretion in a manner that benefits Irsay in order to likewise benefit Indianapolis.
Still, Indy might be able to keep the Colts via a lower financial investment. If keeping Irsay out of hot water really is important to the NFL (and we're convinced that it is), then the NFL and the Colts should be willing to stick around for a lower cash investment by the locals than otherwise would have been required.
http://profootballtalk.com/monrumors.htm
If it's occurring, it's not surprising. The N.F.L. is known to have a touch of the O.C.D. when it comes to the league's image, and any owner would expect the league to help shield him/her from public embarrassment and/or criminal sanction, if there was a way to pull it off.
And, in the Colts, the league has the ultimate leverage.
The logic is simple. The league needs to put a team in L.A. in order to keep its network cash cow nestled snug in the barn. The Colts are one of the candidates to mollify the folks at Fox, CBS, and ABC. If the locals provide sufficient funding for an appropriate new venue for the team -- and if they look the other way regarding any potential violations of the law that Irsay might have committed -- the Colts would stay put.
The problem, of course, is that the feds have been involved in the investigation, and they're probably less likely to exercise their discretion in a manner that benefits Irsay in order to likewise benefit Indianapolis.
Still, Indy might be able to keep the Colts via a lower financial investment. If keeping Irsay out of hot water really is important to the NFL (and we're convinced that it is), then the NFL and the Colts should be willing to stick around for a lower cash investment by the locals than otherwise would have been required.
http://profootballtalk.com/monrumors.htm