Rams Ready to Move, Sue : Pro football: NFL threatened with $1 billion suit if St. Louis deal vetoed today.

If NFL owners, convening here today for a meeting called to reconsider the Rams’ request to move to St. Louis, again reject it, the team might still move and then file a lawsuit on favorable ground in Missouri, Ram President John Shaw indicated Tuesday.

“It’s going to be an eventful week,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily look for a settlement with the league, and there might not even be a vote. But that doesn’t mean it won’t end favorably (for St. Louis) this week.”

If the NFL continues to block the move, as it voted to do at a meeting last month in Phoenix, he said legal action will be taken before the end of the week.

The Rams have informed the league that St. Louis has the option of negating the deal if the move is not approved. Such action would allow the Rams to ask for more than $1 billion in damages and then open negotiations with other cities, such as Baltimore.

The Rams’ lease for Anaheim Stadium ends on Aug. 3.

The Rams would prefer to move to St. Louis immediately rather than open negotiations with another city, but the NFL can take legal action after April 17 to stop the Rams from doing so.

Shaw said he “remains optimistic” that a compromise agreement might be struck at this specially called meeting to deal with the Rams, but he said there will be no new offers from the team.

“We have dealt in good faith,” he said.

The Rams offered the league $25.5 million at the meeting in Phoenix, and then increased it to more than $37 million after later meetings with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The league has yet to specify what amount of money it will take to win its favor.

Several NFL owners polled, however, indicated they now approve of the Rams’ move to St. Louis because of the threatened lawsuit, but are cautious about the policy they will set in letting the Rams go. They said league approval might be granted conditional upon financial terms being settled at a later date.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” Shaw said. “I’m in the dark just like everybody else.”

The Rams had considered remaining in Southern California while taking legal action against the league. The team, however, is now concerned about losing its deal with St. Louis, which includes more than $74 million raised in the sale of personal seat licenses. They believe a long legal battle with the league will result in the loss of that money and the St. Louis fan base.

As a result, their strategy has changed, prompting talk of an immediate move. The Rams believe if they move and file a suit against the league, there will be grounds for compromise once they have played a game in St. Louis.