Roski Still Trying to Bring NFL Team to L.A.

Ed Roski Jr., co-owner of the Kings, is awaiting word from the NFL about his latest proposal to bring a team to Los Angeles: He wants to buy a minority stake in an existing franchise and relocate it to play in a renovated Coliseum.

“We’ve had a number of discussions with them, which they’re taking under consideration,” Roski said of league executives. “Hopefully, they’ll get back to us in a couple of weeks.”

Roski, who tried unsuccessfully to bring an expansion franchise to the Coliseum, said of his latest plan: “This is the first step in our new venture to get us a team here in Los Angeles.”

Roski said he has not spoken to individual team owners, but said that if he gets the OK from the league, he will begin actively soliciting teams, naming the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills as possible targets.

“The first step is [identifying] a team that wants to relocate,” he said. “That’s the key element.”

The Los Angeles developer said it would be more financially feasible to bring an existing team to the city than it was to land an expansion team because the expansion fee would be eliminated.

Roski said funding for the Coliseum renovation, which would cost an estimated $350-$400 million, would come from a $150-million loan from the league, a $50-million historic tax credit and a user tax on tickets that would generate about $150 million.

A relocated team, however, would not automatically qualify for the loan from the league. The team first must relocate and then apply for the loan.

Roski’s plan calls for the relocated team to play in the Rose Bowl while the Coliseum is being renovated.

A spokesman for the Cardinals said the team, which has been lobbying for a new stadium, has no plans to leave the Phoenix area.

“We’re optimistic that the newest stadium effort here is going to take legs,” said Paul Jensen, Cardinal public relations director. “The Cardinals are totally committed to getting it done here and there has been no conversation with anybody anywhere else about an alternatives.”

A spokesman for the Saints declined comment on Roski’s plan.

The NFL did not return calls.

Houston beat out Los Angeles for an expansion team last October when billionaire Bob McNair’s bid of $700 million doubled a last-gasp proposal from Roski and Eli Broad on behalf of the Coliseum.

“None of these transactions are easy,” Roski said of his latest proposal. “They’re very complicated because you have a number of interested participants in the process . . . but this is something that is extremely doable.”