Seattle Finds Support In Nfl 49ers, Pats Owners Speak Out Against Seahawks’ Move To L.A.

King County’s assurances that the Kingdome met seismic requirements appeared to find their mark with NFL owners and chip away at one of the remaining options for Seahawks owner Ken Behring.

Carmen Policy, the San Francisco 49ers president, said the National Football League should stop Behring’s move to Southern California and keep the Seahawks in Seattle.

“I think the league will act,” Policy said. “I think it can. And it should. And I think it will, no question about that.”

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, “I think Seattle is a safe place to play. If anyone doubted that, they shouldn’t from what I heard.”

Reactions to King County’s presentation Wednesday, plus the NFL’s enthusiasm for a plan to build a state-of-the-art facility near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles as home for an NFL expansion team, were not good news for Behring.

Behring wants to break a lease with the county and move the team to Southern California. Both sides have filed lawsuits.

His son and team president, David Behring, stayed at the meetings this week while Ken Behring returned to his Northern California home after the first day. David Behring said he asked several questions about the Kingdome but did not receive the answers he wanted.

“It is unresolved at this point,” he said. “I believe in our experts. You had different sets of experts present different sides.”

If the Seahawks stay in Seattle, county experts assured NFL owners the Kingdome is as safe as any stadium in the league.

“(It) is a well-designed building and has many of the characteristics you want buildings to have to resist earthquakes,” said Chris Poland, a San Francisco structural engineer.