Turf tussel: Dome lease standoff leads to bad blood between Vikings, MSFC

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The plastic palace is the center of a quarrel yet again.

The Vikings owners say they are not interested in playing there after their lease expires with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission at the end of next season while the commission made a move today suggesting it is only interested in the Vikings continuing to play there at the end of next season.

"As the landlord we need to sit down with them and hear what they have to say," Commission Chair Roy Terwilliger said Thursday.

"The building cannot support an NFL team, we cannot solve this issue," Vikings spokesperson Lester Bagley said in response.

Today the commission passed a resolution using monetary rewards and penalties to try and keep the Vikings in the Dome until 2013.

To say that didn't go over well with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf would be an understatement.

"They knew it was unacceptable yet they move forward without any heads up," Bagley said.

On Wednesday night, Wilf sent a letter to commissioner Paul Thatcher saying Wilf was cutting all ties with the commission specifically because of this resolution.

"I like the Wilf's. If they get mad at me that's ok. This is America," Thatcher said in response

Well, the Wilf's are mad but the commission isn't backing off.

"They get to say anything they want to. This action today empties the cupboard, the public cupboard of the sports commission for the Vikings and I am happy we did it," Thatcher said.

But again, Vikings, not happy.

"Vikings owners and the organization are very disappointed in the action of the sports commission," Bagley said.

The Vikings are saying they are not threatening to leave Minnesota but are absolutely promising to move forward on getting a place to play, new or existing, that is not the Dome come the end of next season.

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