Owners Will Hear State of L.A. Football

NFL owners and executives are not expected to make any decisions about football in Los Angeles at their annual fall meetings that begin today, although the subject is on the formal agenda.

The L.A. working group, made up of five owners assigned to study the stadium options, will be briefed on the progress of the Rose Bowl, Coliseum and Carson proposals at the two-day meetings. That prospect prompted L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks and Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch to come here in case owners want to know more about their venue.

“We know it’s just an update for the owners,” Lynch said Tuesday. “We just want to be there to show our interest, answer any questions they might have and let them know exactly where we are in the process.”

On Thursday, team owners will award the 2008 Super Bowl after hearing presentations from the three candidate communities: Tempe, Ariz.; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C. Tempe is the leading candidate.

One subject that is not on the agenda but probably will be discussed is the recent discovery of the “designer steroid” tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, and the ongoing federal grand jury investigation of a Bay Area supplement laboratory.

Seven current or former Oakland Raiders are on the list of 10 NFL players subpoenaed to testify, according to a CBS Sports report. Two of those Raiders, defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield and running back Tyrone Wheatley, confirmed they have been subpoenaed. A subpoena is a legal request for information and does not indicate misconduct.

The NFL has added THG to its list of banned substances. It plans to test existing urine samples for it and test players from now on.

“None of us have any information about it,” said Tampa Bay General Manager Rich McKay, who is attending the meetings. “All the information the clubs have seen has really come through the media. There hasn’t been a lot of discussion at the league level. So I would imagine they’ll give us a little background here.”