The Rams‘ move from St. Louis to Los Angeles was not cheap, but owner Stan Kroenke had agreed to pay all legal costs for the relocation. By the time the Rams and NFL reached a settlement with the city of St. Louis, the cost of the lawsuit had reached $790 million.
This was not the other 31 teams’ problem, though, since Kroenke said those costs were covered, but the owner soon changed his tune. Kroenke attempted to back out of paying, saying he agreed to pay for the legal fees, not the settlement.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, the league has “quietly” taken $7.5 million from each team, a total of $232.5 million, to help with the cost.
There is no word yet on whether the teams will get that money back if Kroenke ends up paying the cost himself. Owners went into the move believing no money would be taken from their teams and ended up with millions gone.
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The situation has caused budgeting issues for teams, Kaplan notes, because they are unsure as to whether or not they will get the money back.
The Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016 and played in the Los Angeles Coliseum until SoFi Stadium was built. Last season, the team won the Super Bowl in their own stadium, becoming the second team in history — and the second team in two years — to win a championship at home.
