The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission began considering an amended lease with USC Thursday that would allow two National Football League teams to play at the Coliseum, which is also the home field of the USC Trojans.
According to county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is president of the Coliseum Commission, the existing lease with USC only allows for one NFL team to share the stadium with the Trojans.
With a chance that two NFL teams could be moving to the Los Angeles area, the commission is looking to amend its agreement with the university to accommodate both of them. Although the panel began reviewing the issue Thursday, it is not expected to vote until a later date.
NFL owners voted earlier this month to approve the St. Louis Rams’ move to the Southland, with the team’s future home at a stadium to be built at the former Hollywood Park racetrack site in Inglewood. That stadium will not be ready until the 2019 season, so the Los Angeles Rams will play at the Coliseum beginning this fall.
The NFL, however, also gave the San Diego Chargers the option of partnering with the Rams to share the Inglewood stadium. If the two teams reach an agreement, the Chargers could also need to play at the Coliseum while the stadium is built.
If the Chargers decline to partner with the Rams, the Oakland Raiders would then be given the chance to move to Inglewood — making that team another potential temporary Coliseum tenant.
The Rams will play nine games at the Coliseum in 2016, two in the preseason and seven in the regular season, with one “home” game being played in London.
—Staff and wire reports