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	State ponders development options, Patriots not for sale (WTNH) _ The New England Patriots say they're going to stay in Massachusetts. Patriots spokesman Stacey James tells News Channel 8, "the New England Patriots are not for sale." The dust has hardly settled in Hartford as Connecticut lawmakers try to determine the next move for the revitalizing the capitol city. Meantime, The prospect of legal action against the New England Patriots appears to be diminishing. Attorney general Richard Bluemnthal tells News Channel 8 that finding any evidence of illegal behavior may be very difficult. Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports. No one knows what the next step will be. There is a state law on the books calling for spending $80 million dollars on a sports stadium in Hartford, and bonding for a convention center, but as of tonight everything is dead in the water. The million dollar test drilling continued at the Adriaen's Landing/stadium site through most of the day today. The state supervisor of the project told me late this afternoon that the state pulled the plug on the testing as of 5:00 pm, because state and local officials are scrambling to decide what to do next and whether or not there is actually going to be a project. Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General: "There are very definitely some missing pieces in this puzzle, from a factual stand point." And the attorney general was anything but certain about a law suit proceeding. Whether there's one against patriots owner Robert Kraft, or commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the NFL is still a very open question. Blumenthal: "If we're to make a responsible decision a conspiracy among the NFL members to rest the team from coming here or interfere with our contract, we need to uncover those pieces of the puzzle." That would involve finding some hard evidence that Kraft was actually involved in the Massachusetts proposal, or had some kind of contact with the NFL about it. The governor's office let this story out over the weekend in an apparent effort to make it look like the governor had to play hard ball with Kraft all along. It said that Kraft had given the governor a letter prior to the Patriots bill signing ceremony last January, saying he was in no way fully committed to the project. According to the story, Rowland signed a fake document and later threatened to veto the bill unless Kraft withdrew the letter, but despite his anger painted this rosy picture. Gov John Rowland (Jan. 1999): "There is no little issue, we've gotten by all the big issues and will continue to work together to make sure that we stick to the schedule." While some say that story over the weekend in the Hartford Courant was just damage control put out by the governor's press office to make the governor not look like a dupe, a source close to the negotiations says there was difficulty every step of the way between Rowland and Kraft. As far as what's next for Adriaen's Landing, some decisions could be announced following the governor's regularly scheduled legislative leadership meeting at the capitol Wednesday morning. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

State ponders development options, Patriots not for sale
(WTNH) _ The New England Patriots say they're going to stay in Massachusetts. Patriots spokesman Stacey James tells News Channel 8, "the New England Patriots are not for sale." The dust has hardly settled in Hartford as Connecticut lawmakers try to determine the next move for the revitalizing the capitol city. Meantime, The prospect of legal action against the New England Patriots appears to be diminishing. Attorney general Richard Bluemnthal tells News Channel 8 that finding any evidence of illegal behavior may be very difficult.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.

No one knows what the next step will be. There is a state law on the books calling for spending $80 million dollars on a sports stadium in Hartford, and bonding for a convention center, but as of tonight everything is dead in the water.

The million dollar test drilling continued at the Adriaen's Landing/stadium site through most of the day today. The state supervisor of the project told me late this afternoon that the state pulled the plug on the testing as of 5:00 pm, because state and local officials are scrambling to decide what to do next and whether or not there is actually going to be a project.

Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General: "There are very definitely some missing pieces in this puzzle, from a factual stand point."

And the attorney general was anything but certain about a law suit proceeding. Whether there's one against patriots owner Robert Kraft, or commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the NFL is still a very open question.

Blumenthal: "If we're to make a responsible decision a conspiracy among the NFL members to rest the team from coming here or interfere with our contract, we need to uncover those pieces of the puzzle."

That would involve finding some hard evidence that Kraft was actually involved in the Massachusetts proposal, or had some kind of contact with the NFL about it. The governor's office let this story out over the weekend in an apparent effort to make it look like the governor had to play hard ball with Kraft all along.

It said that Kraft had given the governor a letter prior to the Patriots bill signing ceremony last January, saying he was in no way fully committed to the project. According to the story, Rowland signed a fake document and later threatened to veto the bill unless Kraft withdrew the letter, but despite his anger painted this rosy picture.

Gov John Rowland (Jan. 1999): "There is no little issue, we've gotten by all the big issues and will continue to work together to make sure that we stick to the schedule."

While some say that story over the weekend in the Hartford Courant was just damage control put out by the governor's press office to make the governor not look like a dupe, a source close to the negotiations says there was difficulty every step of the way between Rowland and Kraft.

As far as what's next for Adriaen's Landing, some decisions could be announced following the governor's regularly scheduled legislative leadership meeting at the capitol Wednesday morning.

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