NFL Commissioner Goodell Meets with Minnesota Legislative Leaders About Stadium Bill

This morning (April 20), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Art Rooney met with Governor Mark Dayton and legislative leaders to press the issue of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. At the heart of this conversation was the stark reality that a deal needs to be struck this year, and that pushing off the issue another year is not an option.

After the meeting; Goodell, Rooney, Dayton, and a group of legislative leaders held a press conference at the State Capitol. The whole of the conference contained very little new information and was primarily political in nature. Beside using an unnecessary amount of football cliches in reference to getting a stadium deal done, the parade of legislators who took the podium reiterated that a deal needs to be struck this year. The phrase most legislators used to describe the meeting was "reality check". They all said they feel confident a deal will be struck, and there are amendments in the works to make the standing proposal work.

Governor Dayton and almost all of the legislators who spoke commented on how Commissioner Goodell's visit has created a sense of urgency in the stadium effort. This was driven home by a few different legislators openly commenting that during this morning's meeting, there was dialogue about the reality that the NFL has other markets in which they would like a team - including Los Angles, where Vikings owner Zygi Wilf's private jet was spotted this week.

Goodell, Dayton, and several legislators were quick to point out that although there was open talk about the reality that the Vikings could be relocated; that there were no threats used in the conversation that took place today.

We'll keep you posted as new stadium developments become available.