Houston pays record fee to return to NFL

Houston is back in, Los Angeles is still out and the NFL will realign in 2002.

NFL owners took just about 1 hour Wednesday in Atlanta to approve Houston as team No. 32 for 2002, accepting the $700 million bid by Houston businessman Bob McNair, which shatters the league expansion fee record of $530 million paid by Al Lerner for the new Cleveland Browns.

The vote was 29-0 with Arizona and St. Louis abstaining, not in objection to Houston, but apparently because of realignment concerns. The Houston offer not only was $170 million more than that by Los Angeles, but with the financing of a $310 million retractable roof stadium all set, including $195 million in public funds, it was far ahead of Los Angeles in that regard, too.

So, Los Angeles, which lost the Rams and Raiders in 1995, is still without a team and the NFL is still not represented in the country's second-largest market. The NFL certainly gave Los Angeles enough time, but for the foreseeable future, its only way back in will be if a team attempts to relocate there.

The new Houston franchise replaces the Oilers, who moved to Tennessee for the 1997 season. The new stadium will be next door to the Astrodome and the team will be placed in the AFC.

The NFL's goal is to place Houston in a division by June of 2001. And that will involve some realignment. Each conference will be split into four divisions of four teams each. The only conference-hopping will be one AFC team moving to the NFC. The leading contender is Seattle.

The expected, but not finalized, playoff format will be four division winners and two wild-card teams from each conference, which means there still will be 12 teams in the postseason.

It won't be easy coming up with the realignment. Arizona has wanted to stay in the NFC East so it can be with Dallas, but it would be logical to move the Cardinals into a division with the 49ers, Seahawks and Rams. The Cowboys are likely to remain with the the Giants, Eagles and Redskins, their traditional rivals.

For now, all that is certain is Houston beat out Los Angeles.

"This is an opportunity to put Houston back on the map," McNair said. "It is my hometown and I like to see the spotlight on Houston. We've got a great sports market in Houston. It's a big investment, but we're going to have a wonderful stadium and even a Super Bowl."

As part of the deal, a Super Bowl will be played in the new stadium.

In March, the NFL decided to expand to Los Angeles, but gave the city a Sept. 15 deadline to have a deal in place.

- Headline by Jim Bainbridge

New-look NFL

With expansion will come realignment. Here's one plan, with Seattle moving to the NFC, drawn up by Steelers president Dan Rooney:

AFC divisions

Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers

Jets, Patriots, Colts, Bills

Jaguars, Dolphins, Titans, Houston

Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

NFC divisions

Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins

Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Bucs

Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Rams

Copyright 1999
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