Former NFL Executive: Los Angeles Will Have Stadium, Team By 2019

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The former football executive leading the charge by the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders to jointly build a stadium in Carson says he is "absolutely certain" the teams will be based in the Los Angeles area by 2019.

Carmen Policy, a lawyer and former president and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers, told reporters outside a meeting of the National Football League team owners in Chicago that the Carson project would be "shovel ready" as soon as approval is given for the teams to move from their respective cities.

According to a Twitter post from the NFL network, Policy said, "We are absolutely certain that we will be in the stadium and playing football for the 2019 season."

Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos and Raiders owner Mark Davis made a presentation to their colleagues, Policy said.

"I thought that Mark Davis and Dean Spanos gave short but very heartfelt and, I think, very appropriate comments to start and end the entire presentation," Policy said. "So, we feel it went well."

He said 2018 was too early to expect the proposed Carson stadium to be ready.

Returning a team to Los Angeles is a major priority for the NFL. The Los Angeles area has not had an NFL team since 1995, when the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders returned to Oakland.

While a decision won't be made Tuesday or even within the year, the NFL may make a major decision by the time the Super Bowl rolls around, CBS Sports NFL Analyst and former Raiders CEO Amy Trask told KNX1070 NEWSRADIO.

"Perhaps just after the Super Bowl we will know the identity of the team -- or teams -- which will be playing in Los Angeles, soon," Trask said.

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