Team's new owners make the rounds at NFL meetings
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/02/2008
Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom
PALM BEACH, Fla. — As a neophyte NFL owner, Chip Rosenbloom experienced at least one "rookie" moment at the league meetings this week in Florida.
Standing in a meeting room with sister Lucia Rodriguez and Rams executive vice president Bob Wallace, Rosenbloom's mind was elsewhere during the perfunctory team-by-team roll call.
"I didn't even hear 'St. Louis' called," Rosenbloom said, smiling. "And I hear Bob Wallace say, 'Yes.'"
That is "yes," as in present and accounted for, which also sums up Rosenbloom's first NFL meeting as a Rams owner. Advertisement
Over the years, Rosenbloom has attended about 15 of these meetings, but many were as a child tagging along with his late mother (Georgia Frontiere), or late father (Carroll Rosenbloom).
He also has attended several of these meetings later as an adult, including last year's gathering in Phoenix.
Those times, he was in the meeting rooms rubbing elbows with owners and executives as league matters were discussed.
But this week is different, serving as his official introduction as a Rams owner.
"Last year, when I went to the meetings, people knew me as Georgia's son," Rosenbloom said. "And this year, Lucia and I are here as the owners of the team. It was a different experience definitely."
Rosenbloom and Rodriguez inherited the family's 60 percent share of the team when Frontiere died of breast cancer Jan. 18. Rosenbloom has the franchise's controlling vote.
On behalf of the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell paid his respects to Frontiere during his opening address Monday.
According to Rosenbloom, Goodell told the group that the NFL had lost part of the family and that Frontiere was a wonderful, optimistic and inspiring person.
"It was very nice. And sad," Rosenbloom said Tuesday. "They applauded her, and then he introduced Lucia and me."
Throughout the week, team owners and members of ownership families have paused in meeting rooms or the hallways of the posh Breakers hotel to individually pay their respects and offer condolences.
"Dan Rooney (Steelers), Bob Kraft (Patriots), Steve Tisch (Giants), John Mara (Giants), Dean Spanos (Chargers) — a lot of people," Rosenbloom said. "I can list practically everybody. People have been so nice with their fond memories of my mom. It's been a very touching trip here. ... It's just too bad she wasn't here to hear the warmth and respect that other people have for her."
And for Rosenbloom, some habits are hard to break.
"After (Monday's) meetings, I went back up to my room and I thought, 'I should call my mom and tell her what's going on,'" Rosenbloom said. "It was a very strange feeling."
Strange and poignant.
As her health deteriorated in recent years, Frontiere rarely attended league meetings. Rosenbloom called his mother routinely last year with updates.
Now that Rosenbloom is the club's majority owner, he plans on attending as many league meetings as possible. Asked if he found the NFL meetings boring or stimulating, he laughed and replied, "Both. There are a lot of procedural kind of things that happen — rudimentary things that are important."
But for a "newbie," Rosenbloom has a pretty high owner's IQ, with some help from team President John Shaw.
"A lot of things I've been informed about over the years," Rosenbloom said. "John and I talk regularly. So that's not been an issue to kind of get up to speed. It's been good to have my sister in some of these meetings, because she's really gotten an education."
For example, Rodriguez sat in on a competition committee meeting while Rosenbloom attended a coaches' meeting Tuesday.
"She's actually come up with a number of good ideas which she'll be discussing with the commissioner and people from the league office," Rosenbloom said.
League rules limit teams to two representatives per club when the owners enter what is called the executive session.
A third representative is allowed if it's a family member. So there have been sessions this week attended by Shaw, Rosenbloom, and Rodriguez. And others attended by Shaw and vice chairman and minority owner Stan Kroenke.
"We've had no problem with coordinating our attendance," Rosenbloom said.
In terms of team votes on league matters, Rosenbloom has discussed some topics with Shaw, reaching consensus decisions.
He has been less involved on matters relating to the Xs and Os of the game.
"I defer on most of the football matters to the football people," Rosenbloom said. "That's how we've done it at this meeting."
jthomas@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8197
"I'm a beast and you don't tame a beast, you hit it with a stick and then let it go out into the wild"
Got caught not paying attention in the meeting. 
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