FOX 2 in St. Louis reported earlier tonight that Rams minority owner Stan Kroenke is prepared to transfer ownership of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets to a family member, in order to allow him to purchase the portion of the football franchise he currently doesn’t own.
We’ve asked the NFL whether such a simple maneuver will be sufficient to circumvent the league’s cross-ownership rules. The league declined to provide a definitive answer.
“The proposed transaction will be reviewed by our office and the Finance Committee,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told us via e-mail. “Until then, it is premature for us to speculate on the outcome.”
Here’s the bottom line. The league can approve any transaction that it wants, as long as a total of 24 owners are willing to give it the thumb’s up.