How to handle Super Bowl in Los Angeles could be among topics at NFL meetings
The NFL’s 2020 vision for Los Angeles is starting to look fuzzy.
With the opening of the Inglewood stadium delayed nearly a year, to 2020, the league’s plans to have that venue play host to the Super Bowl at the end of that season is in jeopardy.
League rules stipulate that a stadium cannot host a Super Bowl in its inaugural season, so Los Angeles would need a waiver to do so.
That topic could be discussed among team owners Tuesday at their annual May meeting, although it would be a surprise if any resolution were reached.
It’s far more likely that the league would take its time to evaluate the situation, weigh the pros and cons of awarding Los Angeles a later Super Bowl versus granting a waiver, then resume the discussion at an owners meeting in October.
Last May, the NFL took the unprecedented step of awarding three Super Bowls, whereas it typically would go one or two at a time. The next four are scheduled to be played in Minnesota, Atlanta, South Florida and Los Angeles. Although there would seem to be plenty of time to move a game slated to be played in Inglewood in February 2021, the advance planning involved — booking convention space, transportation, hotel rooms — adds to the complexity of the situation.
The NFL granted a waiver for the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl held three years ago, for the first time allowing its marquee game to be held outside in a cold-weather city. Developers of the Inglewood stadium argue that because both the Rams and Chargers will play there, the venue will essentially have two seasons worth of NFL use by early 2021.
Whereas there is unlikely to be movement on the Los Angeles front at the one-day meeting, league owners almost certainly will ratify the conditional lease agreement between the Raiders and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority. That would clear the way for the Raiders to begin construction this summer on their $1.9-billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2020.
Owners also are expected to vote on a few rules proposals. They will consider shortening the overtime period to 10 minutes, allowing teams to bring two players back from injured reserve each season, and permitting more on-field celebrations without risk of penalty.
Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter @LATimesfarmer
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