Disney CEO joins Carson Stadium Project

November 11, 2015 |By Mighty 1090| News, NFL

STATEMENT OF CARSON HOLDINGS, LLC

November 11, 2015

Robert Iger, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, has agreed to serve as the Non-Executive Chairman of Carson Holdings, LLC. Carson Holdings is the joint venture of the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers formed in February 2015 that is responsible for working with the City of Carson in connection with the construction of the new Los Angeles NFL stadium by a municipal stadium authority at the 168-acre Carson site. Mr. Iger’s work on behalf of Carson Holdings is contingent upon the National Football League owners approving the proposed LA Stadium site at Carson as the new home of the NFL in Los Angeles.

“Should the owners approve the move, Los Angeles will proudly welcome two incredible teams to our community and build a stadium worthy of their fans,” said Mr. Iger. “LA football fans will enjoy unprecedented access to games during the season, in a state of the art stadium designed to deliver the most entertaining, exciting and enjoyable experience possible.”

In his role, Mr. Iger will be responsible for hiring the President of Carson Holdings. Following Mr. Iger’s strategic direction and leadership, the President will work with the teams to oversee on a day-to-day basis the teams’ participation in the NFL LA stadium project, including the design and construction of the stadium, the fan experience on game day, the marketing of the stadium to the Los Angeles region, the branding of the location and venue, and the successful re- entry of professional football into the Los Angeles marketplace.

Mr. Iger will continue to serve as Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company under the terms of his contract. The agreement between Mr. Iger and Carson Holdings makes clear that Mr. Iger will not be required to provide services to Carson Holdings which conflict with his Disney duties and obligations. Mr. Iger’s appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of Carson Holdings will be for an initial term of five years, with an automatic two-year renewal option. Mr. Iger’s compensation as Non-Executive Chairman will be $1.00 annually. Mr. Iger will have the option, subject to League approvals, to acquire a minority, non-controlling equity ownership interest in one of either the Raiders or Chargers. Mr. Iger has committed not to exercise his option until he departs his role as Disney’s Chairman and CEO.

About Carson Holdings, LLC
Carson Holdings is a limited liability company jointly owned on an equal basis by the Chargers and Raiders football companies. Carson Holdings will be responsible for leading and coordinating all aspects of the teams’ collective efforts to help make the LA Stadium in Carson a world class facility and home for their football games in Los Angeles. Carson Holdings will be working with the City of Carson in connection with the construction of the LA Stadium by a municipal stadium authority, which will own the stadium and lease it to Carson Holdings in an arrangement similar to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara

Another Helmet Pipe Site

Bye-bye Raiders? New L.A.stadium gains NFL owners' support

 

By Jay Cohen

Associated Press

Published 820/2015

Los Angeles hasn't had an NFL team since the Rams and Raiders departed after the 1994 season. Now they want to resume their L.A. story, and the Chargers are looking to leave their home city since 1961.

At stake is one of the country's largest markets, and the NFL is focused on a long-term solution.

"That's the key issue for us, making sure that whatever we ultimately decide as a membership, that we have the ability to be successful in Los Angeles for the long term," Goodell said, "and that's why we spent the last two decades trying to come up with a solution that we felt would provide that kind of foundation."

The high-stakes game of musical chairs likely will send at least one team back to a market it tried to leave, but Goodell said the teams know the risk.

"Those are the circumstances as they are," he said. "You take a risk if you file for relocation of whether it'll be approved."

The Chargers and Raiders, long-time AFC West rivals, are pushing a shared $1.7 billion venue involving about 170 acres in Carson, a city of 93,000 people south of downtown Los Angeles. Owners Dean Spanos of the Chargers and Mark Davis of the Raiders spoke during their 30-minute presentation at the meetings, and Carmen Policy, a former 49ers executive who was hired to help oversee the project, said the group touted the transportation and location advantages of its proposed site, and the history of the teams.

"It cures the California dilemma and you're not only curing the California dilemma, but you're curing it with California teams," Policy said. "These teams have been born and bred in California. They never left California. They've always been in California."

Davis said he talked about the progress that the group had made over the past six months, and he thought the presentation went well.

"You never know," Davis said. "As I've said all along, Oakland is still the place that we wanted to be and we'll just see what happens."

The city of San Diego had its chance to speak to the NFL on Monday, making a presentation in front of the league's Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities. Then the city and county unveiled updated plans for a new $1.1 billion stadium that were criticized by the Chargers.

Eric Grubman, the NFL's point man on relocation, said the city's proposal "evidenced a significant amount of progress," but the committee still had several questions about possible risks and threats. The Chargers have expressed concerns about an environmental study collapsing in court.

"Those questions remain open," Grubman said. "They are working on responses and how to mitigate those risks."