Pete Carroll says Dodgers sale will make NFL owners take notice

Former USC football Coach Pete Carroll said he expects NFL owners to sit up and take notice of the sale of the Dodgers for $2 billion, noting that it should tell them something about the value of the Los Angeles market.

“Oh, man, they’ve got to love that,” said Carroll, now coach of the Seattle Seahawks, during the NFC coaches’ breakfast at the annual league meetings. “That’s a new day. That’s a big marker. That’s not just something-point-something, it’s $2 billion. That’s a big number. That’s a very exciting thing.”

Stan Kroenke, owner of the St. Louis Rams, was one of the three finalists in the bid for the Dodgers. The group that includes Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten, former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, bought the team for a record $2 billion -- almost twice the previous American sports franchise record of $1.1 billion paid for the Miami Dolphins by Stephen Ross.

“I think it’s an enormous statement about the value of being in L.A. and the tremendous stage that they’re on,” Carroll said. “It sets a new mark for franchises in general in big-time sports. I don’t know all of the makings of the group, but just the fact that Magic’s involved is really exciting. Just because what he means to the community and all that.

“I don’t know what he knows about baseball, but I bet he can hit it a long ways.”

Many in the NFL, among them Commissioner Roger Goodell, have long considered Chavez Ravine as a prime site for a football stadium. It will be fascinating to see how this would make that option any more or less viable.

Know this: In the eyes of many owners, the fact that Frank McCourt is still connected to that site makes it, in essence, toxic soil.

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Pete Carroll says Dodgers sale will make NFL owners take notice