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Just a week after team owner Stan Kroenke stood before NFL owners and pitched them on why the league should allow his franchise to move from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and just days after practicing with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., in front of fans chanting "L.A. Rams," head coach Jeff Fisher and his players remained mum when asked about the team's potential relocation.
"It has nothing do with (moving to) L.A. or anything else," Fisher said about the Southern California practices, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We were really happy we had quite a group of fans here. But from a practicality standpoint and a convenience standpoint, this worked out the best for us."
Kroenke is pitching a stadium in Inglewood that he's billing the "Los Angeles Entertainment Center," according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. The complex, per that report, includes a 6,000-seat theater that could host events such as the Grammys, Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
The pitch occurred last week in Chicago, where league owners gathered to hear the Rams, Chargers and Raiders explain why their respective franchises should be permitted to move to Los Angeles. Kroenke's pitch, which team vice president Kevin Demoff helped orate, centered around the notion of that St. Louis was no longer a suitable home for the franchise, according to SB Nation's Ryan Van Bibber. The city's Convention and Visitors Commission's decision to not make the Edward Jones Dome a "first-tier" facility was the primary point of contention.
Just a few days later, the Rams traveled to Oxnard to hold a joint practice with the Cowboys, one which Kroenke attended. There they were greeted by several thousand L.A. Rams fans chanting, hoping for the team to return to the city it left in 1994, according to ESPN. Those in attendance also got to witness a brawl between the two teams, one which featured Dez Bryant getting punched in the face.
"We're appreciative of our fans wherever they are," defensive end Chris Long said. "Obviously they did a great job of coming to support us here. We have great fans in St. Louis, too. We're not here to choose sides. We're here to play football."
"All you can do is focus on your craft," tight end Jared Cook added. "You're here to play football. You're not here to make executive decisions."
The Rams' next preseason game is Sunday in Tennessee. Their first home game of the preseason will be Saturday, Aug. 29, against the Colts. How they're greeted by their current hometown fans will be interesting to see.