The Sports Xchange

Former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy was hired to lead the relocation efforts of the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Policy, who also served as Cleveland Browns president and CEO before he sold a minority stake in the team in 2004, was hired to lead a push for relocation and stadium projects in the Los Angeles area.

Both California teams are pursuing a proposed $1.7 billion venue in Carson, Calif., where the co-tenants would play while attempting to negotiate new stadium deals in their current cities.

Policy has been involved in L.A. stadium deals previously. In 1994, he was appointed by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue to help negotiate for the league in a proposed stadium deal for the Raiders in L.A. that eventually failed and led to the Raiders returning to Oakland.

“I understand the league,” said 71-year-old Policy, who has spent his years away from the NFL developing his vineyards. “Even though I’ve been gone for a while, the dynamic within the room is basically the same, although many of the faces have changed.”

Policy was expected to speak to league owners at the NFL meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Supporters of two competing stadium proposals in the Los Angeles area also were to give an update on their progress.

St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is spearheading the second stadium proposal in L.A. that would be built on nearly 300 acres that formerly was the site of Hollywood Park racetrack. He is interested in relocating the Rams back to L.A.

Oakland and San Diego are considered to have the two worst stadiums in the NFL and Policy called the proposed Carson stadium a “silver bullet solution.”

“I think the league is really committed to having two teams in the Los Angeles market,” he said. “Especially when they have two of their teams in the largest state in the union, in the worst facilities, one of which (the Raiders) are at the bottom of the competitive ladder from a financial standpoint.

“So with one great financial commitment, you’re solving two problems for two teams that were born in California and are staying in California.”

Policy, whose involvement with the 49ers resulted in five Super Bowl rings, thinks the Carson proposal could end up winning.

“I believe Carson is a great site,” he said. “I don’t want to have the whistle blow at the end of this game and lose.”