ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Like a player sprinting out of the tunnel, Dave Peacock was met with a roar and applause as he gave Rams fans an update on plans for a new riverfront NFL stadium.
“Great cities build. They don’t stand still. They don’t shrink, and they don’t quit,” the stadium task force co-chair declared in the parking lot of the Missouri Athletic Club before Thursday’s preseason match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He said it’s time to change the national narrative about St. Louis.
There was also a promise from Mayor Francis Slay: “You’ve got my word. We’re going to see a new stadium in downtown and we’re going to see the Rams playing and winning football games here.”
“This is an incredible venue and it’s a source of civic pride,” said HOK design principal Eli Hoisington. This week, new details and renderings of the stadium complex were released.
Some in the crowd chanted, to the tune of the Twisted Sister song, “We’re not gonna move! No! We’re not gonna move! We’re not gonna move… to LA!”
Peacock said he and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon this week went to New York for a face-to-face conversation with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We had a good discussion and we continue to be encouraged to keep doing what we’re going,” Peacock said. Asked if he could elaborate, he said, “no.”
Up next, he said stadium backers will go to the Board of Aldermen for approval of the city’s portion of the funding package. They’ll also continue work with the state on brownfield tax credits. There’s still some land acquisition to be finalized too.
Looming largest, though, is the presentation to NFL owners, which comes in October.
Peacock told reporters he thinks that St. Louis as a viable NFL city is an easy sell. The region is 15th among 32 NFL cities in corporate backing, 13th in the number of Fortune 1000 company headquarters and top ten in the population’s personal income, he said.
He also insists this a good deal for St. Louis and Missouri taxpayers.
“At least where I came from, in business, if you have a net fiscal return, you typically put the money there,” Peacock said. “I see this project as that, not to mention all of the intangible benefits that come with it.”
After taking a few questions from reporters, Peacock was swarmed by people who wanted to thank him for his work — and to take selfies with him.
Some in the crowd sang, “Glory, glory, Dave Peacock! He keeps the Rams in town!”
“Glory, glory, Dave Peacock! He keeps the Rams in town!” #STLNFL @stlstadium @kmoxnews pic.twitter.com/NDWfcO7y4a
— Michael Calhoun (@michaelcalhoun) September 3, 2015
Front and center for the pep rally was fan Bob Aebel. He wore a white Rams jersey with the words “SUCK IT STAN” in navy blue on the back.
“You know, you’ve got an owner that hasn’t spoken with the city or the fans in almost four years,” he said. Of his jersey, “I figured this might get him to say something.”
Off to the right stood Andrew James, holding a sign with owner Stan Kroenke’s photo and the word “LIAR!” He says he’s trying to stay encouraged.
“I’m not convinced either way, but I’m leaning toward the fact they might be leaving,” he said.
Peacock, a former president of Anheuser-Busch, is cautiously optimistic.
“I’m a business guy, so I’ve never guaranteed anything — except for the freshness of Budweiser — but I will say that I feel very good about our chances.”
(Michael Calhoun/KMOX)
(Michael Calhoun/KMOX)
(Michael Calhoun/KMOX)
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