The St. Louis Rams won an arbitration decision in April in a dispute between the team and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commision (CVC) over proposed upgrades to the Edward Jones Dome.
The CVC, which owns and operates the Edward Jones Dome, was required to pay the Rams $2 million to cover the team’s legal fees following the ruling. Arbitration was necessary due to two wildly varying plans on how to upgrade the Dome per terms of the lease agreement between the Rams and the CVC.
The terms of the agreement allow the lease to become year-to-year and for the team to move following the 2014 season if the stadium isn’t in the top 25-percent of stadiums in the league. The Rams proposal to upgrade the building was in excess of $700 million while the CVC’s plan would have cost $124 million. The arbiter ruled in favor of the Rams and the CVC was ordered to pay the money to the team.
According to Jim Salter of the Associated Press, the Rams received the payment on May 20.
If the CVC does not implement the Rams’ plan to upgrade the stadium, the league becomes year-to-year beginning in March 2015. Per the AP, St. Louis city officials said it is unlikely the plan will be implemented. This could prompt the Rams to move cities as early as the 2015-16 season.