January 31, 2007

49ers send mixed messages all over the place

I've been waiting for this whole San Francisco 49ers brouhaha to settle down before writing about it, but it looks like settling is the last thing it's going to do. So away we go:

• On Monday morning, San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross reported that the 49ers have "informally approached" the Oakland Raiders about sharing a stadium in Santa Clara, a la the gajillion-dollar Jets/Giants stadium planned for New Jersey. 49ers executive Jed York, son of the team's owners, told Matier and Ross that it was a "good idea" but that the team hadn't spoken with the Raiders about it yet, though Raiders insiders told the Chronicle otherwise.
• Later that afternoon, the 49ers issued a press statement insisting that they were "not in discussions with the Oakland Raiders concerning the sharing of a new stadium."
• And also on Monday, the 49ers filed a legal claim against the city of San Francisco for violating lease terms on the stadium formerly known as Candlestick Park, by failing to maintain it properly. In particular, the team wants the city to spend $5 million to replace the escalators at the stadium - which it has said it hopes to move out of within five years.

This after the 49ers just extended their lease through May 2013. Are we getting diagnosed yet?