Rose Bowl Officials Say 'No' To NFL Proposal
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Football fans can cross the Rose Bowl off the list of possible temporary homes for any NFL franchise relocating to the Southland.
Officials with the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) decided in a unanimous 11-0 vote to not respond to a request for a proposal from the NFL sent out last month, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The vote leaves at least four other Southland venues still under consideration by the NFL: Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, the L.A. Coliseum, and Stub-Hub Center.
Instead, RBOC officials opted to pursue a music and arts festival that would take place during the month of June.
Pasadena City Councilman Victor Gordo, who also serves as RBOC president, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO officials thought the festival just made more sense for the city's identity.
"I don't think this should be viewed as an anti-anything, including NFL, decision, as much as it should be viewed as a well-reasoned business decision on the part of the Board that a music and arts festival, in the long term, is a better fit for the Rose Bowl," said Gordo.
AEG, which in March backed out of the proposed Farmers Field stadium in downtown Los Angeles, would be a partner in the festival, The Times reported.