About 50 Rams employees left behind in move to Los Angeles

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- As the St. Louis Rams organization packs up its headquarters in preparation for moving the National Football League team to Los Angeles, about 50 employees are preparing to be left behind.

Since the NFL voted to allow the Rams to relocate to Los Angeles on Jan. 12, about half of the 100 employees who aren't players, coaches or in the scouting and personnel department have been invited to follow the team to California. Many of these employees include the team's athletic trainers, equipment staff, and those in media relations and the Rams Broadcast Network.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the other half is being offered two months' termination pay, six months' severance pay and one week of additional pay for each year of employment with the team.

The team also is providing a placement service for these employees, offering resume and interview tips, as well as networking opportunities.

Most of the employees in accounting, marketing, sales and ticketing are not going to L.A. The team's ticket office at the Edward Jones Dome was emptied and closed about a week after the relocation vote.

It's unlikely the team's physicians, who are affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University, are following the team, as they have well-established practices in St. Louis that are independent of the Rams. The doctors are expected to stay on the team through the NFL Scouting Combine, the recheck combine in April and the draft.

Of the employees who have been invited to L.A., some don't want to go or can't leave because they've established roots in St. Louis or have families to consider. For others, including those who are early in their careers and single, the move represents a new adventure.

It is not clear as to whether they will receive any cost of living adjustment. Employees have indicated they will stay in St. Louis if the numbers aren't sufficient.

Rams executive vice president Kevin Demoff declined to comment on the team's employee changes.

For now, packing is well underway at Rams Park as more desks are cleaned out each day.

The Rams have until April 1 to leave its Earth City building, which they've occupied since the team's second season in St. Louis in 1996. They've rented the space from the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority for $25,000 a year.

The Rams have yet to decide where it will set up headquarters in the L.A. area.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com