"We have worked hard to create what the Jets have never had but still deserve - a home of our own," team president Jay Cross wrote in a letter to season ticket holders this week. "Last month, we came within one vote of making the dream of a new Jets stadium [in New York] a reality. But an obscure state board refused to fund infrastructure improvements which the team was willing to match with the largest private sports investment in history --$1.6 billion.

"While we continue to pursue our own stadium in New York," the letter continues, a reference to a meeting scheduled for later this month with officials of the Borough of Queens, "we must now consider other options. The Jets recently entered into talks with the Giants to explore a proposed new Meadowlands stadium that would house both teams on truly equal footing. The discussions are in the early stages and no timeframe has been set to make a final decision."

The letter also suggests, at least indirectly, that the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority might be helping the process along. "The Jets won a major victory when the NJSEA agreed to a rent reduction [on the Jets' current Giants Stadium lease], recognizing our right to equal treatment with the Giants. In exchange, we agreed to settle our lawsuit against the NJSEA."