NFL football may be returning to Los Angeles sooner rather than later, and all thanks to Mickey Mouse’s boss.
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is set to lead an L.A. football stadium project for Carson Holdings, LCC, the company announced Wednesday.
The potential move would bring both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers to the country’s No. 2 media market as early as next season. While Iger would maintain his main job at the major media company in the interim — he’s under contract through 2018 — the mogul has added the role of non-executive chairman at Carson Holdings. Iger is expected to wind down his tenure at Disney after his contract expires.
For all his efforts — he will oversee all major initiatives with the venture, including stadium design, naming rights and fan experience, and will be responsible for guiding construction and operation of the facility — Iger plans to take an annual salary of $1. However, he’ll have the option of buying a portion of either the Raiders or Chargers for himself. Iger’s Carson contract is for five years, with a two-year extension option.
The teams are expected to announce a move shortly, NFL reporter Jason La Canfora wrote. Clubs are currently assembled in New York for an NFL pitch meeting with league team owners as well as elected officials from St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland, Calif. The proposed deal is contingent on the NFL owners approving the Carson, Calif., stadium plan for construction — a vote that is expected to take place in January.
Iger’s new deal has a clause to insure that his efforts not conflict with any duties at Disney. Iger will also recruit and hire a president for the Carson project.
This is not the only option for Hollywood-area NFL football: St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is trying to move his team to Inglewood, Calif. The Rams are also attending today’s key New York City meeting.
The Carson project had an estimated 16-20 votes of support before Iger’s involvement even arose; it would require 24 votes to proceed. The hesitation on the Iger project versus the Kroenke one may come down to a belief of some owners that Inglewood — a property already owned by the Rams’ overseer — could be the more profitable one.
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.