The Vikings ownership, sympathetic to the state government shutdown because of the failure of the Legislature and governor to agree on a budget, has called a recess on their drive to get an Arden Hills stadium bill passed.
The Vikings ownership believes this is not the time to be campaigning for a stadium when so many people are going to lose their jobs and a lot of citizens will be affected because of the shutdown.
No members of the Wilf family or vice president of public affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley were available to comment on the current status of the stadium bill in the Legislature.
However, a source familiar with the Vikings stadium push reported that there is still a long way to go before an agreement can be reached.
The source also said the cost of the stadium, as figured by Mortenson Construction, is still at $1 billion, not $800 million. While the Wilf family has agreed to furnish the $407 million they originally agreed to contribute, plus additional money they pledged in a recent meeting with the governor, there has been no agreement on spending less than $1 billion on the stadium. But this is something that could be negotiated.
Meanwhile, the word is that some people connected with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, operators of the Metrodome, still were campaigning behind the scenes for the stadium to be built on the Farmer Market site.
NFL wedding There was a wedding at the Minneapolis Club on Saturday with NFL connections. Former Vikings defensive line coach John Teerlinck, wearing his four Super Bowl rings [two winners with the Broncos and one win and one loss with the Colts], marched down the aisle for the marriage of his son, Bill, the Colts defensive ends coach, to Melanie Busch. Bill and Melanie met as students at Benilde-St. Margaret's in 1992, when John was an assistant for Denny Green.
John introduced Vikings great John Randle at his Hall of Fame induction and pointed out that five head coaches were produced from the players and coaching staff under Green: Tony Dungy, Brian Billick, Jack Del Rio, Ty Willingham and Mike Tice.