California courting Panthers to move to L.A
High-ranking state officials in California have been courting Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson to move his team to Los Angeles, ESPN.com reported Sunday.
However, they have had no luck so far.
Richardson is one of four NFL owners who also own the stadium their team plays in, so there is no lease to break or litigation to fight.
Richardson, however, said in a statement that he is committed to keeping his team in the region.
"It has always been my desire that the Carolinas would be the home of our Panthers," he said. "Nothing has changed. As someone who was born in North Carolina and lived much of my life in South Carolina, I hope that there would be no doubts about my personal devotion to the Carolinas."
Only if the city refused to help him with some stadium renovations would Richardson reportedly listen to offers to move.
Recent talks between the city of Los Angeles and Richardson occurred during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was the chairman of the convention. He planned president Barack Obama's speech at Richardson's Bank of America Stadium.
The Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots Washington Redskins are the other teams that own their stadiums.
