SAN DIEGO - NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Friday called a disagreement between Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati that has been delaying the proposed Bengals stadium ''bizarre.''
Mr. Tagliabue, in his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference, said the league expects to ''be involved'' in efforts to transfer 12.5 disputed acres of city land to the county by Jan. 31. Bengals President and General Manager Mike Brown has said he'll withdraw from the project if a settlement isn't reached by then.
City Manager John Shirey has said the city won't transfer the land until a deal is reached with the county to pay for riverfront infrastructure related to stadium development.
''It's almost bizarre to think that a plan that was as thoughtfully worked out as that, agreements that were put in place on an unconditional basis, could get hung up by some collateral dispute,'' Mr. Tagliabue said.
Mr. Tagliabue said he has contacted Mr. Brown and ''elected officials in Ohio.''
Mr. Brown couldn't be reached Friday. Katie Blackburn, Bengals general counsel and corporate secretary, saw nothing surprising in Mr. Tagliabue's remarks.
''We all want to be able to move forward,'' she said. ''That's what the commissioner wants; that's what we want, and that's what we're trying to get done . . . I don't think there's anything magical he could do.'' ''
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