Trouble Brewing for 49er Stadium

The San Francisco 49ers’ president suggested he may scrap the team’s new stadium project because of rapidly growing cost projections, a decision that could force the team’s move to another city.

Word of the potentially collapsing stadium deal comes only a year after city taxpayers narrowly approved a $100-million bond issue to help finance the new 49er home and an adjoining shopping mall.

Larry Thrailkill, the team’s president and chief executive for the DeBartolo Corp., told the San Francisco Chronicle that a decision whether to proceed with the project could be made as early as next week.

He estimated the new 75,000-seat stadium alone could cost as much as $500 million, $200 million more than originally projected. The total cost could exceed $725 million, the Chronicle reported Wednesday.

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REDSKINS: One day after the NFL accepted a record $530-million offer for the Cleveland Browns, the estate of the late Jack Kent Cooke formally opened the bidding for the sale of the Washington Redskins, one of the major franchises in professional sports.

Even before Wednesday’s announcement, there was already a bid on the table. New York entrepreneur Andrew Penson has offered $450 million for the team and the stadium, although his offer would not assume the $161-million debt on Jack Kent Cooke Stadium.

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ETC.: Carmen Policy, part-owner and president of the Cleveland Browns, said he plans to meet with former San Francisco coach George Seifert to discuss the expansion team’s search for a coach. . . . Defensive lineman Jeff Lageman of the Jacksonville Jaguars will sit out the season because of a torn biceps in his right arm. The Jaguars signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneer lineman Eric Curry to take Lageman’s spot on the roster. . . . The New Orleans Saints put quarterback Billy Joe Hobert on injured reserve and signed journeyman quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver to a two-year contract. Hobert will sit out the season after rupturing his left Achilles’ tendon in Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. . . . The New York Giants signed veteran cornerback Carlton Gray, a former UCLA star who was released last Friday by the Indianapolis Colts. . . . Former Detroit Lion coach Wayne Fontes has filed for workman’s compensation for injuries he traced to coaching.