ST. LOUIS — The National Football League, Los Angeles Rams and mega-billionaire Stanley Kroenke, maneuvering to avoid a high-stakes civil trial, have filed court pleadings urging a judge to reject claims that NFL team owners broke league rules and lied to the public about the Rams' departure from St. Louis.
In the filings, the league, Rams and Kroenke say NFL relocation guidelines establishing a process for teams seeking new host cities are merely internal guidelines that club owners "may" consider when evaluating proposed moves. Ultimately, they said, owners should apply their "business judgment" to advance the NFL's "collective interests.