Chip Rosenbloom, Lucia Rodriguez and John Shaw

Chip Rosenbloom, Lucia Rodriguez and John Shaw<= o:p>

Owners Introduction Press Conference=

John Shaw opening st= atement:

“It’s ni= ce to see all of you. This is kind of a bittersweet occasion for me. I have the opportunity to introduce the succession of a long time ownership of the Ram= s, a 50-year ownership really, from the Rosenbloom-Frontiere era, to the new Rosenbloom-Frontiere era. As you guys know, Georgia passed away about thr= ee months ago. She was a friend of mine for a very long time, for the better p= art of 30 years. She was an inspiration to me. She was very brave. She was courageous. The last six months of her life were incredible. She made every= one around her feel great, despite a very difficult illness. It was a trying ti= me for her family and for me and for people that knew <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Georgia. We are now here for = a new era of the Rosenbloom-Frontiere legacy. As you know, Georgia is a 60 percent owner= of the team. It is now owned equally by her children, Chip and Lucia. Of cours= e, Stan Kroenke remains a 40 percent owner. Chip is the controlling managing partner, even though Chip and Lucia are really equal owners. I’m happ= y to introduce Chip and Lucia. They have been part of my family for a long time.= I guess from when she was 17 and chip was 15, maybe younger when I first met them. They are terrific. They will be great owners for the team. They are genuine, inspiring, very graceful, nice people. I’m positive that the city of St. Louis will find this to be a terrific opportunity for the city and will be very pleased with our owners. So, without further ado, I introduce Chip first, a= nd then he’ll introduce his sister.”

Chip Rosenbloom open= ing statement:

= “Thanks John, and thank you everybody for being here. First of all, to echo some of John’s sentiments, it is bittersweet. My mom was incredible. She was inspiring, an= d I know many of you knew her pretty well. She had such a fondness for the pres= s in St. Louis, the fans in St. Louis, the community, our corporate sponsors, everywhere she went, she felt loved in St. Louis. The last six months of her life were so traumatic for all of us, and her bravery, her courage, her strength, it’s indescribable what Lucia and I and John and our famili= es witnessed. You may have heard me comment before on this, but I knew my mom = was a strong person, but she was beyond anything I could have ever imagined, so= it is a bittersweet day. I also want to thank everyone for their patience. I k= now it’s taken us a while to get here, and I want to thank the Rams staff= , I want to thank John and Jay and coach (Scott Linehan) and everybody involved= in helping us with this transition. As you guys can imagin= e, it is not easy. So, I have some prepared remarks, and then I’ll introduce Lucia and we’ll open it up to some questions. If you don’t mind, I’ll read from some of these remarks as this is kin= d of new to me.

Speaking for me and = my sister, there have been two things that have been constant in our life, football and our mother. We miss our mom dearly. We wish she were here toda= y, and we weren’t being introduced as the majority owners of the Rams. As you can imagine, with someone as charismatic as our mother, we envisioned h= er being here forever. I couldn’t imagine a time without my mom or her vibrancy or charisma. But now we have the responsibility and privilege of succeeding our mom. So it will be a new experience for us. It’s going= to take some time to grow accustomed to our responsibilities with the Rams. Th= is transition will be challenging, but it’s already been made easier by = the outstanding staff we have. The corporate support we’ve experienced he= re since moving in 1995, I can tell you that the reception here is greatly different from what we experienced in Los Angeles. We’re from <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Los Angeles. We love Los Angeles, but the experience in St. Louis as children of an owner of a football team was remarkably different. And we thank you, and we thank the = fans for their support.

As everybody knows, = St. Louis was my mom’s hometown, it was my grandmother’s hometown, it was my great grandmother’s hometown. If we fi= nd the family bible, we’ll find out how far that actually goes. We visited h= ere as children, but as you know, we didn’t grow up here. We’ve had= a fondness for St. Louis since we were children, since visiting our great grandmother here as little kids and our great aunts. Then, when we moved here, we felt embraced by the community. I want to assure you that Lucia and I are committed to St. Louis. We̵= 7;re grateful for the reception that we’ve experienced so far. I also want= to thank all the people who have sent cards, letters, everything. We’ve gotten so many notes of appreciation of our mother from well-wishers, and we’ve tried to personally thank everybody. I think we’ve done a pretty good job, but some things may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I wan= t to thank everybody for their condolences to my sister and me and our families.=

Talking about the se= ason, I’m an optimist by nature, but I really am optimistic about this seas= on. I think we have reason to be optimistic. I think we’ve made some exci= ting offseason moves. I think we have a great home schedule. And I think we’re going to get a great player on Saturday. =

I’d like to th= ank you for attending, and now I’d like to ask Lucia to talk about some of the memorial plans we have for my mom, because this is a season really to honor= our mom. My mom carried on a legacy started by my father, and this is a year to honor my mom and to honor my dad. Our parents were wonderful, compassionate, caring, loving, charismatic individuals, and we are going to try and carry = on their legacy and make them proud.

Lucia Rodriguez open= ing statement:

I would just like to reiterate what my brother has just so beautifully said. Thank you to the St. Louis community and to all the fans and our staff for their support in deal= ing with the patience of our slow arrival to St. Louis, and certainly, the outpouring of love to us and our families from everyone who really loved our mother. It’s really heartwarming to know just how many people she touched. Perfect strangers have written us the most heartfelt notes that we’ve shared with our children. It’s really a wonderful thing. Anyone that’s known my mother has know that there was never a charity that she didn’t fall in love with. She just embraced every city she ever lived in. She loved to get involved in whatever the local charities are or were. In St. Louis, Variety Club was the big one. In fact, I was just speaking with Jan Albus yesterday, talking= with her about how my mother had photographs of some of the children from Variet= y in her hospital room. On her toughest days, she’d look at the pictures of these children and say ‘you know what, Lucia? As hard as this is, I h= ave nothing to complain about. Look at what these kids go through every day of their lives.’ So, that’s really the example that our mother set= for us and our spouses and our children. It was just a remarkable, yet sad experience for us.

We have many plans to memorialize our mother this year. First of all is the St. Louis Race for the Cure, we have Team G= eorgia. That’s going to be on June 21 in downtown St. Louis. We hope you’ll all com= e. You’ll get a Team Georgia T-Shirt. You can visit the website, www.stlouisrams.com, and click on = the Team Georgia banner to be linked directly to the Race for the Cure site for registration. Under my mom’s leadership, the Rams have been involved = with the Race for the Cure since the events inception. So we thought this would = be a very fitting way to honor her while also helping others, something that she would have wanted. She had plans on beating this disease, unfortunately that didn’t happen. Chip and I felt very strongly that we need to educate women, and I think she would have wanted that. Particularly women of a cert= ain age that may not be used to going and getting mammograms and taking care of their health in a way that’s really more for the younger people. We h= ope that you’ll join us for that.

We also have plans a= round the home opener. On the Friday before the home opener, we have a celebratio= n of life planned to honor our mom, with poetry readings, music and everything t= hat our mother loved. At the home opener against the New York Giants, we have several in-game activities, including a halftime celebration.

We have this jersey. I’m not sure if you all got to see this, but they have a patch up here that says ‘Geo= rgia.’ It’s kind of hard to see against the blue, but the players will be wearing these for the season.

CR: It’s actua= lly her signature.

LR: It is her signat= ure, yes. It’s a very beautiful, distinctive signature. =

We have a golf tourn= ament coming. Georgia’s Drive for the Kids. We’ve played around= a lot with the name of that. We wanted to tie in the kids, because she loved kids= so much. We’re sharing the proceeds with St. Jude’s Children’= ;s Research Hospital on that. That will be on Monday, September 15. we’re working with t= hem to host a pairings party and dinner here at Rams Park, followed by the golf tournament at Foxrun Golf = Club.

Last, but certainly = not least, we’ve renamed in her honor the Community Quarterback Awards, w= hich are now the Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Awards, where we will a= ward $20,000 to local non-profits. We will also be honoring the most outstanding off-field player performance with the Georgia Frontiere Humanitarian Award = as part of the end of the year team awards. There’s a common theme here = from the beginning to the end of the season, because our mother was so charitable and so loved to give back to the community that we want to continue her leg= acy in any way we can. We wish she was here, and we will do our best to honor h= er.

John Shaw: I would l= ike to add just a couple more thoughts, and then I’m sure Chip and Lucia will take any questions you have. It was Georgia’s wishes the la= st six months of her life to really keep her illness private. She kept encouraging= all of us to focus on the football team. She was a very positive person. I personally observed the family going every single day for six months to the hospital, and the support she had from her family was incredible. It wasn’t just Chip and Lucia, but their spouses, Kathleen (Rosenbloom) = is here today, and Lupe Rodriguez is here today, and their children. Lucia has four children, Will is here, Lauren is here and two of her other boys, Stu and Andrew aren’t here. Kathleen and Chip h= ave two children, Olivia and Alexander, and they are both here. And obviously, Earl= Weatherwax, who was Georgia’s companion for= the last 20 years was unbelievably supportive for th= ose six months in the hospital. He’s not here today, but he is in town, a= nd you’ll probably see him at some other point. In one way, I’m so= rry that it was so private, but on the other hand, that whole experience and the support of the family speaks incredibly well for the family and as you get = to know Chip and Lucia, I think you’ll feel t= he same sort of caring and love that they had toward their mother toward this community.

CR: I wanted to just= add two things about our family and about John (Shaw) and Mike (Moyneur) and Tom ()= and Jay (Zygmunt) in particular. We could not have gotten through it emotionally and psychologically. My mother was the strongest of all of us. We walked in= to that hospital room where she was at, and every day it was smiles. She had a doctor, her main doctor, who spoke at her service in Los Angeles, who said he’d never = had a patient that never once complained and instead focused on him and his wife = and his kids. That’s what she did with all of us. The memories that I take from it are my sister and her husband and her kids and my wife and my kids walking into that hospital room, and Earl who was there almost around the clock, and just seeing the love that my mother had for all of us and just hoping that we wouldn’t be overly concerned. She could pick up an expression on somebody’s face and make that into ‘is everything= all right with you guys,’ as opposed to anything that had to do with her.=

The other thing I wa= nted to point out is the Georgia Frontiere Humanitarian Award,<= /span> the Rams have had three legendary owners. Starting with Dan Reeves, we have= the player of the year award. Then we have the rookie of the year award, named after our father, Carroll Rosenbloom. We think it’s appropriate that = the humanitarian award is named after our mom, in keeping with the legacy of the ownership of the Rams.

(On what the last th= ree months have been like)

CR: It’s been = really tough. We’ve had a lot of responsibilities, but if you’re talki= ng personally or professionally. Personally, they’ve been tough. We̵= 7;ve had a lot of trauma and turmoil in our lives, but we’ve also had the = blessings of so many kind and thoughtful people. We’ve had incredible support. = When my mom was really sick, and we thought we were prepared, it was a day that = John pulled us aside and reflected on his father’s passing. He said ‘= ;you guys will never be prepared,’ and obviously (not being prepared) was = the most traumatic thing of all. It was a very strange experience. I don’t know how many of you have lost a parent, but this happened after my father passed away, it happened after mom has passed away, I’ve picked up my cell phone and said ‘oh, I have to call my mom.’ I’ve pic= ked up different pieces of paper, because I would fax her all the time, and say ‘where is she, is she in St. Louis or Sedona?’ Professionally, the staff = has made it really easy for us in regards to the Rams. We’ve made some ma= jor decisions, and that’s been relatively easy, but as far as getting thr= ough some of the other things, it’s complicated, it’s confusing, and we’re doing the best we can.

(On how he sees hims= elf as an owner)

CR: I think that Dan= Snyder and Jerry Jones do great jobs. I see Lucia and I both being present owners,= but not as hands-on as Dan and Jerry.

(On how much time he= plans to spend in St. Louis during the season)

CR: We’re work= ing that out right now. I will tell you that I turned down a directing job that was shooting this fall. I told them that I wasn’t able to do that until n= ext year. At the same time, Lucia and I both have family responsibilities, but = the Rams are clearly a priority, and you’ll be seeing a lot of us. <= /o:p>

(On what it means fo= r him to be able to take over for his mother as Rams owner)

CR: It’s daunt= ing. I think we’re learning our way. It’s an education. For 43 years, football has been in my life, first with the Colts, then with the Rams, fir= st with my dad, then with my mom. Now it’s with us, and you think you kn= ow what you’re doing, and we’re trying our best, but it’s a learning experience. There is a learning curve with this, and we’re d= oing that. We’re trying our best.

(On moving to Los Angeles once t= he stadium is complete)

CR: As Jim Thomas ma= y have written, and I think Bernie (Miklasz) has commented on this, we have a leas= e, first of all. We have a commitment to St. Louis. Secondly, we don’t have any interest = in moving to Los Angeles. Is that clear enough?

JS: I don’t th= ink the news was that there was going to be a stadium built, I think the news was t= hat there is a proposed stadium site.

(On his personal fee= lings against moving back to Los Ang= eles)

CR: I think that St. Louis is a gre= at home for the Rams. I don’t see any reason why we would move the team. I kn= ow people have speculated about ‘well, after our benchmarks are up, then we’ll move.’ I think St. Louis= is as committed to the Rams as the Rams are to St. Louis. So, I don’t see anything, certainly I don’t see any reason why we would initiate a move to any other city. =

(On his reception at= the owners’ meetings)

CR: They were terrif= ic. Lucia and I went to the meetings, and I would say we sort of shared responsibilities at those meetings. I’ve known a number of them for m= any years, and Lucia’s more casually known them. But everybody from the commissioner to everybody in the league office to all the owners to staff of the other teams, they’ve just been wonderful. So much of the league m= eetings were business oriented, but it had an emotional aspect for a lot of people = in that they really took the time to honor my mom’s contribution to the league. I think maybe sometimes she was underestimated. I actually was so h= appy to experience owners that I didn’t know very well come up to me and t= ell me how much they were impressed by my mother and how fond they were of her. That really meant a lot to me. That was one of those times when I went up t= o my room and I was like ‘I have to call her and tell her what Wayne Weaver (Jacksonville Jaguars) just said,’ and countless other owners. I think she knew that in her heart, and I’m just very grateful for the recept= ion we’ve gotten so far.

(On what is patience= is like with a team that went 3-13)

CR: So you’re = saying we had a 3-13 season, and how patient are we going to be with this season? = This is somebody that is an avid football fan. So, somebody who is dedicated to = the Rams, and I saw a team that was decimated by injuries last year, and I saw us rebound when players came back. I saw a coach who handled his losses and some of the problems within the team with grace and dignity and quietly. I saw offseason moves that were remark= able, I think, done very quickly, and I have a lot of respect for what Scott (Linehan) has done this offseason. I also want = to remind you that two seasons ago, we went 8-8. We= could have been 10-6. Some people say we could have been 6-10, but we could have = been 10-6 with those two Seahawks games, and we would have been a playoff team. I consider this a playoff caliber team, and once we get into the playoffs, we have every shot at the Super Bowl. The very idea that the Giants won the Su= per Bowl this year, I don’t know anybody in this room, aside from somebody that’s a psychic, that would have predicte= d that the Giants were going to win the Super Bowl. I don’t know anyone in t= his room that would have predicted coming off of 4-12 in 1998, would anyone have predicted that? I’ll tell you one thing. I remember a phone call from John, and he talked about the inujury to Trent = Green, and it was just like ‘oh no, what’s going to happen.’ My = mom was just like ‘I think we might have another Johnny Unitas on our hands.’ That is an absolutely true story, and she was right. I think that’s one of the great things about the NFL is that you never = know what’s going to happen in a season, and I think this season is someth= ing to be excited about. I actually like our competition. I like the idea that = we can start off the season with some impressive victories. Hopefully, that wi= ll lead us to the playoffs, and then anything’s possible.

(This was before Kur= t Warner played any regular season games)

CR: Yeah. My mom had= met him, and she’d met Brenda and she’d been impressed casually, but she said ‘I just have a feeling about him.’ Now, you can imagine John’s reaction to that.

JS: interestingly en= ough, as sick as Georgia was the last six months, she was totally committed to the football team and= to making football decisions while she was in the hospital. Often when I’= ;d visit her, or she’d write me notes and she was very supportive and ve= ry opinionated about retaining coach Linehan as Stan Kroenke was also. She was concerned about a lot of the players’ injuries and I found it really = very inspiring and interesting that during a really horrific time, her mind went= to the team and to the transition and making sure that the continuity was something that she would liked to have seen. A lot of the decisions that we= re made at the time fully had her support and Stan’s support.=

CR: I’d like t= o add something to that too which was that my mom had been around football for ne= arly 50 years, so she has seen the ups and downs of football organizations. I remember conversations with John and my mom in her hospital room where she = said ‘he’s having a tough time, we had a lot of injuries, but heR= 17;s a good guy, he’s a good coach, he’s a winner and we’re keeping him. What do you guys think?’ It wasn’t ‘what do = you guys think?’ It was ‘We’re keeping him, what do you guys think?’ Both John and I agreed and Lucia agreed and Stan agreed. I’m impressed every day with what I’ve seen with Scott Linehan.=

(On being rebuffed b= y the league regarding wearing throwback jerseys this season)

CR: I wouldn’t characterize it as being rebuffed. The league has a policy, and there are a number of reasons why they have that policy. I think that clearly we’= re not going to be able to do it for this season, but they’ve been really helpful to us for next season, which will be the 10^th anniversar= y of our Super Bowl win and hopefully the first anniversary of another Super Bowl win. I don’t want to say we were rebuffed, we were turned down. =

(On Saturday’s= NFL Draft)

CR: Yeah, John’= ;s going to announce (the draft pick, laughing). I know that John and Jay and Billy (Devaney) and Scott and the whole scouting department and coaches have a lo= t of meetings coming, and we’re now first in the Draft, so it should be ve= ry exciting.

(On anything specifi= c that Georgia wished to be carried on)

CR: My mother didn&#= 8217;t really talk in terms of mortality or anything negative. She talked in terms= of kindness, generosity, being a gentle person, using your heart first, and I think that’s the tradition that we’ll carry on, because as you = all knew from her, that’s the kind of person she was. <= /p>

(On how the chain of= command will work)

CR: This season we&#= 8217;re taking a watch and wait and see approach to things, and kind of learning. I think we have a setup that works for us. So, I think the chain of command w= ill remain as it has been. I think we’ve really been underestimated. I’m not putting this out to the press or whatever, but I think a lot = of people around the country have underestimated the Rams and if you reflect b= ack not too long ago, John and Jay and the whole staff produced winners consistently. We were a winning team throughout the ‘80’s. We h= ad four or five rough seasons, and then we’ve been consistently a winning team. I think that we have some of the best football executives in the leag= ue, and I think that this year will prove that.