Developer Phil Anschutz would be willing to buy a full ownership stake in an NFL team to facilitate the placement of one in a downtown Los Angeles stadium, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
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Anschutz Entertainment Group has proposed building a football stadium in the city, with the hope of having an NFL team move there. But a sticking point reportedly had been Anschutz's stipulation that he be able to buy a stake in that team at a discount, sources recently told Yahoo! Sports.
"Phil is now completely engaged in this process," Tim Leiweke, AEG's president and chief executive, told the Times on Monday. "And the only thing he won't do is get leveraged to the point of doing a stupid deal on a team. But if this is about finding a win-win for the NFL and Phil Anschutz, he is prepared to write that check now, subject to getting done with the (environmental impact report)."
Sources previously told Yahoo! Sports that "no NFL owner would accept the terms proposed" and suggested AEG would have better luck if it were willing to fully purchase a team.
Leiweke told the Times on Monday that AEG also would be accommodating with regard to the terms of any agreement.
The newspaper also reported that an environmental impact report on AEG's proposed downtown site is set to be released Thursday.
