ESPN Mag had a recent in-depth legnthy article on how the LA relocation process went and how heated the discussions became with issues going back 2 years. Also how Goodell lost complete control early on and couldn't stop the bickering and in-fighting between owners.
Jerry Jones got into a heated argument when he saw right through the Rams early deceptions with the owners. Rams owner implied a potential lawsuit against the NFL if they prevent his move.
At least one NFL executive likely sabotaged the Chargers/Raiders plan by leaking details of it to the Rams group. Either did it because of possible bribes and/or get more favoritism from the new owners.
Quote:
Saints owner Tom Benson posed the first question about Inglewood, asking why owners should defray the costs of the extra real estate developments -- up to $200 million in league loans available for new stadiums -- that would benefit only Kroenke. But before Kroenke and Demoff could say a word, Grubman jumped in to answer the question, explaining that Benson misunderstood the amount of money the league would contribute.
The pro-Carson owners couldn't believe that a league official appeared to be speaking on behalf of the Rams' proposal. That moment, along with persistent rumors that Grubman wanted to work for Kroenke in Los Angeles, cemented in the minds of some owners that he was an agent for Inglewood.
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A lot of the older owners hated how arrogant the Rams owner was in meetings and him not caring about the health of the league. Got their revenge on him by getting the NFL to mandate another team so the Rams couldn't get the entire LA market.
The final vote was between Rams-Chargers and Chargers-Raiders with the Rams only and Rams-Raiders options dropped. Owners picked Rams-Chargers mostly to protect the Chargers even if the deal was more favorable to the Rams. A lot of owners still hated how little the Chargers got in the end and being forced to drop Carson as a spot.
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/stor...ck-los-angeles