Court Rules NFL Owners Must Reveal Financial Data

The NFL and Stan Kroenke are facing a breach-of-contract suit over the Los Angeles Rams’ relocation from St. Louis — one which will now require six NFL owners to reveal financial information. 

The Missouri Supreme Court rejected attempts by five current and one former NFL team owner to avoid having to disclose the sensitive information. The six owners were members of the NFL committee who facilitated the Ram’s relocation. 

• Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles Rams
• Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys 
• Robert Kraft, New England Patriots
• John Mara, New York Giants
• Clark Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
• Former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson 

St. Louis, the county, and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority filed the lawsuit in 2017 and claim a loss of more than $100 million in tax revenue since the Rams skipped town. 

The financial info enables plaintiffs to calculate punitive damages if the suit is successful. A settlement is likely after a judge denied a Sept. 13 bid by the defendants to dismiss the case ahead of the Jan. 10, 2022 trial date. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for today.

Earlier this month, sports attorney Daniel Wallach told Front Office Sports that a $1 billion figure could be a “starting point” for the plaintiffs to settle before the trial.  

The five current and former owners have until Sept. 28 to submit their financial data. If not submitted on time, they’ll each incur a fine of $1,000 per day.

The Rams increased in value from $3 billion in 2017 to $4.8 billion currently, per Forbes.