The saga continues around the Kansas City Chiefs and the possibility of move away from their iconic Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.
The home of the latest NFL dynasty has been recorded as the loudest outdoor stadium in the world, and has hosted many iconic matchups since their move there in 1972.
But having stood tall for over 50 years, Arrowhead is now in some need of major renovations to bring it into line with some of the billion-dollar arenas that dominant the league.
The stadium has provided a major home advantage that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have sung the praises of and has played a huge part in their three Super Bowls over the last six seasons.
Amid the renovation talks is the proposal that the Chiefs move the franchise across state lines into Kansas City, Missouri, where there are plans for a $3 billion brand new state-of-the-art dome.
However, in a recent development, the Chiefs’ mind may well be made up for them.
According to KCTV, a lawsuit has been filed regarding the state of Missouri’s funding plan to renovate Arrowhead, with two state legislators, State Senator Michael Moon, and State Rep Bryant Wolfin, and one private resident from Maries County who filed the lawsuit arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
Their argument for this bill being unconstitutional is because it grants public money to private persons, has multiple subjects, and has changed from its original purpose.
“The appropriations described in the bill are a direct gift or bribe to the owners of the Chiefs and the Royals to stay in Missouri,” the lawsuit alleges.
Wolfin told KCTV: “We are saying that the Chiefs and [Kansas City] Royals, and technically the Cardinals, are certainly the only ones that can benefit from this, whereas the MLS teams, the Battlehawks, and the Blues, as I said, get nothing, so there is some frustration there.”
The current proposal assigns $1 billion in state subsidies would be available to the sports teams over the next three decades, but this is something the lawsuit takes a monumental issue with.
“The Attorney General is constitutionally obligated to defend the laws enacted by the people of Missouri through their elected representatives,” a spokesperson for Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey said, via NBC Sports. “Our office is currently reviewing the lawsuit.”
Essentially, $33 million is being provided to the Chiefs under the Senate Bill 3, if they elect to renovate Arrowhead instead of moving out of Missouri, then the lawsuit says: “it appears that what is really going on is that the Missouri legislature has passed a law which, year by year, the taxpayers are paying about 73% of Mahomes’ salary.”
The potential move away from Arrowhead has divided opinion amongst fans, and players.
Chiefs franchise quarterback Mahomes has stated how ‘special’ he feels Arrowhead is, though he concedes that the decision is ‘out of his control.’
“It’s a special place that doesn’t come around a lot of times,” Mahomes said.
“It’s my favorite place to play in the NFL, not just because it’s my team, but you can feel the history of it when you play…”
“I don’t really have a choice no matter, anyways, but I think either way, we can’t go wrong, because we have the fan base of the Chiefs Kingdom behind us, and they’ll fill that stadium, no matter if it’s in Missouri or Kansas.”
On the other hand, All-Pro tight end Kelce is not keen on the relocation at all, despite the fact he will be long out of the league by 2031, when any move is projected to take place.
“Arrowhead is home for me,” Kelce said. “It’s a part of my heart, playing in that stadium.
“But the fans want what the fans want. We play for them. I think it’s up to them.”
Any redevelopment at Arrowhead is estimated to cost in excess of $800 million, and despite the Chiefs being granted an extension to their decision deadline until the end of the year, owner Clark Hunt feels some ‘urgency’ over making – and committing to – the final decision.
“We’re grateful to have two really good options,” Clark, who is worth $1.6 billion, said.
“I don’t want to get into how close we are to making a decision because I found over time with stadium situations that until they’re done, they’re not done. There’s a lot of work, a lot of moving parts, and we’re working through those.
“Certainly, I would say we feel urgency to bringing the process to a conclusion, but that doesn’t mean I can will it to happen in any specified period of time.”
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