Los Angeles Coliseum Commission considers allowing second NFL team

Discussion during Thursday's meeting of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission may signal how easy it would be for a second NFL team to join the Rams in Los Angeles. 

During a private session, the commission discussed changing the Coliseum’s lease with the University of Southern California so that two NFL teams can share the stadium with the Trojans, paving the way for either the Chargers or the Raiders to join the Rams there this fall.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, president of the commission, said he would do nothing to stand in the way of adding a second team.

"We’ve waited a long time to have NFL football return to Los Angeles,” Ridley-Thomas told reporters. “Whatever we can do to celebrate it in the proper way is fine with me.”

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An actual vote on the proposal would happen at a future meeting, and then it would be up to USC to negotiate the specific terms of the lease with the Chargers or the Raiders.

USC’s current lease only allows for one NFL team, and there are limited options for where another team would play; the Rose Bowl does not seem interested in hosting a team, Dodger Stadium is not equipped well for football and the Stubhub Center is too small.

The Rams have said they will play at the Coliseum through 2019, until their new stadium in Inglewood is built.

It's not clear why the Commission is taking up this matter now, though presumably they want to be ready if the Chargers make a move; the Rams and Chargers have only said that they are in negotiations, and they both agreed not to share any details.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that a deal between the two teams could come by the end of the week, though that would not necessarily mean the Chargers would leave. They might just be assessing their options.

Thursday's meeting is not likely to go over well with Chargers fans, who have already been complaining about the team dropping "San Diego" from the team's social media logo. However, a Chargers spokesman said fans should not read too much into the change.

"We change our logos on our social channels periodically both to improve aesthetics and to promote important messages," wrote Bill Johnston, the team's director of public relations, in an e-mail. "We apologize for any confusion the aesthetic changes may have caused."

This post has been updated.

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly characterized a statement from a Chargers spokesman about changing the team's social media logo. KPCC regrets the error.