Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Rams' Proposal the NFL Couldn't Refuse

At LAT:

The National Football League's return to Los Angeles began behind closed doors — with a coin flip.

The St. Louis Rams won the right to go first, and their owner and a top executive made their pitch in a hotel ballroom, outlining plans for a multibillion-dollar stadium in Inglewood.

Next came the backers of the Carson stadium proposal — the owners of the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. Recruited to oversee that project was Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger, who spoke of his love for the NFL and his branding expertise and reminded the 32 owners that, as head of ESPN's parent company, he had paid them all plenty of money over the years.

After Iger left, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pushed back his swivel chair and stood to address the room.

"He said he paid us. Last time I checked, that money is coming from Disney shareholders, not him," Jones said, touching off laughter.

The moment of levity was a bad omen for the Carson project.

For 11 hours on Tuesday, the owners of America's most profitable sports league — with $10 billion a year in revenue — were cloistered in a suburban hotel, just a half-hour from the small airport and their parked private jets.

Their mission: to pick the teams and stadium that would bring professional football back to L.A. after a 21-year hiatus...

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