The lease on the current stadium for the Minnesota Vikings expires in January 2012 and the team has threatened to leave the state if there isn’t a deal in place for a new stadium before then.
Those words, a stalled process and a call from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were enough to motivate Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton to try and move things along.
Dayton, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, said Friday that Goodell told him Los Angeles’ desire for a football team makes it all the more important for Minnesota to resolve the Vikings stadium issue. The Vikings have been one of a handful of teams that has been mentioned as potentially moving to LA.
Dayton said that while no threats were made the implications of no action were clear.
“If we don’t act in some way and get a stadium project going, it’s unrealistic in my opinion to think that we are not going to face competition for the team in the near future,” Dayton said.
The governor said he plans to schedule meetings next week with legislative leaders, NFL officials and Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to expedite the stadium project.