St. Louis Sues NFL, All 32 Teams over Rams Relocation to LA

The city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and the area's Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority filed a lawsuit against the NFL regarding the relocation of the Los Angeles Rams, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jim Thomas reported Wednesday.

"The Rams, the NFL, through its member teams, and the owners have violated the obligations and standards governing team relocations," the plaintiffs argue in the case.

Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, said in an email to Thomas the lawsuit has "no legitimate basis."

In 2012, the Star Tribune shared the NFL's guidelines for relocating a franchise. The policy mandates "clubs are obligated to work diligently and in good faith to obtain and to maintain suitable stadium facilities in their home territories, and to operate in a manner that maximizes fan support in their current home community."

According to Thomas, the lawsuit's plaintiffs argue Rams owner Stan Kroenke didn't operate in good faith with regard to trying to keep the team in St. Louis.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno, Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff recounted a conversation he had with Kroenke in the summer of 2013 in which the owner called the Inglewood, California, location at which the team will build its new stadium "an unbelievable site."

The result of St. Louis' lawsuit against the Rams will likely be viewed closely by officials in San Diego and Oakland, California, after the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders recently announced plans to relocate.

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