Shaw: No Ram Sale Yet : Football: Team president denies report Missouri businessman will buy minority interest.

Ram President John Shaw Wednesday emphatically denied a report that the Rams have agreed to sell a minority interest in the team to Columbia, Mo., businessman Stan Kroenke.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing an unnamed source, reported today that Kroenke could buy up to 40% of the team, a share worth about $60 million, in a deal that would apparently pave the way for the Rams to move to St. Louis.

The source told the newspaper that “this is an agreement, not a proposal.” The deal reportedly has no buyout provision but instead gives Kroenke first option to purchase the team from Ram owner Georgia Frontiere if she decides to sell.

While Shaw has indicated recently that St. Louis is the front-runner in the race for the Rams and that a minority share of the team would go to Kroenke, he said no deal has been presented to Frontiere for approval.

Shaw, who also has been negotiating with groups from Orange County and Baltimore, said Wednesday night that “there is absolutely no truth” to the St. Louis report.

“No deal has been reached,” he said. “Nothing is imminent. We continue to negotiate. No deal to sell off any part of the team has been reached.”

Neither Kroenke nor officials from FANS Inc., the group negotiating to bring the Rams to St. Louis, could not be reached Wednesday night.

Kroenke was in Los Angeles two weeks ago to discuss the possible sale of the Rams with Shaw. He also has been in contact with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are for sale.

Former Disneyland President Jack Lindquist, co-chairman of Orange County’s Save the Rams task force, was skeptical of the report. “This whole thing is so bizarre and ridiculous,” he said. “Until we here something official from Georgia or Shaw, we’ll go on the basis that the Rams are staying here.”

Lindquist said the local group would do everything it could to prevent the Rams from leaving.

“Whatever recourse we would have, through the courts or whatever, we’ll make it very unpleasant for them if they try to move,” Lindquist said.

Times staff writers T.J. Simers and Mike Reilley and the Associated Press contributed to this report.