Rams Ignore Deadline for Vacating Practice Facility
The brinkmanship between the Rams and the owners of their practice facility continued Thursday with the football team ignoring a deadline that it vacate the premises.
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The Rams’ refusal to move out or sign a lease extension for the practice site may force the Magnolia School District, owner of the property, to seek an eviction order in court.
Meanwhile, Rams officials confirmed Thursday that they have heard from the Orange Unified School District, UC Irvine and others about relocating the team’s practice facility.
“We’ve had 8,000 messages from people offering us places,” said Jay Zygmunt, Rams senior vice president. “We’ve heard everything from the Los Angeles Police Academy to swampland in Florida.”
Despite the interest from other parties, the Rams did not seem to be in a hurry Thursday to leave Rams Park in Anaheim.
“It would be a hardship for us to vacate immediately,” said John Shaw, the Rams executive vice president. “As soon as we find something suitable we will probably move. . . . It’s going to take a while. You don’t buy a house and move in the same day.”
He said the team has no alternative practice site.
Shaw added, though, that he would be “surprised” if the team was formally evicted. But that appears to be the direction in which school district officials are headed.
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District Supt. Paul Mercier said he is “absolutely amazed” by the Rams’ actions and “arrogance.”
“I’m disappointed and amazed that an organization like the Rams are saying throw us out by legal force rather than following through on their moral obligation,” Mercier said. “I find it hard to believe that this is the way they want to deal with things.”
Magnolia trustees will meet Monday night to review the district’s legal options and decide whether to file an eviction lawsuit. A court eviction would give the team at least 30 days to move.
The court eviction notice might also name the city, because the city leases the property from the school district and then sublets it to the Rams.
City Atty. Jack L. White said the city would not try to prevent the eviction.
City Manager James D. Ruth said he is still “hopeful” that some resolution can be worked out. Nonetheless, he said the city and school district had given the Rams “an extremely fair offer.”
The dispute has put the city in an awkward position. While city official want to prevent the team from moving out of Anaheim, as team officials have indicated it may, they also don’t want to jeopardize city funds by making any unwise financial concessions to the team.
