NFL owners approved a $200 million loan Thursday to help the San Francisco 49ers build a stadium south of Santa Clara.
The team plans to bid for future Super Bowls for the 68,000-seat stadium, which will be built adjacent to the 49ers' facility.
"It's huge," 49ers CEO Jed York said of the league's approval. "We've been at this since 1997. We'll have shovels in the ground soon."
Owners approved another part of the funding package two months after the team and Santa Clara announced they'd received an $850 million loan to cover most of the estimated $1 billion cost.
The rest of the cost will be covered by the league's loan, a hotel tax and Santa Clara's redevelopment funds.
"We will definitely be in by 2015," York said, "with hopes of 2014."
Asked about hosting a Super Bowl — the next one available would be the 50th game in 2016 — York said, "This will definitely be a fitting setting for a Super Bowl game and we will bid."
The 49ers have to address their current Candlestick Park lease with the city of San Francisco that runs through 2014.
COLTS: Indianapolis has hired Greg Manusky as defensive coordinator.
New general manager Ryan Grigson made the announcement Thursday. He says Indy also has brought in Roy Anderson as the secondary coach. He'll be in charge of safeties. Marwan Maalouf will coach special teams.
First-time head coach Chuck Pagano hired Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator this week and is still trying to fill jobs on his assistant coaching staff. Grigson also confirmed that former offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen would remain on staff. It has not been determined whether he will coach quarterbacks or receivers.
RAVENS: Baltimore has signed former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Don Martindale to be their linebackers coach.
Martindale takes over for Dean Pees, who was promoted to defensive coordinator after Chuck Pagano left for Indianapolis.
The 49-year-old Martindale has coached for seven years in the NFL. He last served as Denver's defensive coordinator in 2010 after spending a year as the team's linebacker coach. He also worked with Oakland's linebackers from 2004-2008.
Martindale also worked as defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky and Western Illinois.
He inherits a linebacking crew that includes two of the best in the game, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.
BOGUS GOODS FOR SUPER BOWL: Federal officials say authorities have seized nearly $5 million worth of phony Super Bowl sportswear and merchandise in a nationwide sweep.
Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the results of the four-month investigation Thursday in Indianapolis.
Agents targeted stores, flea markets and street vendors that allegedly sold counterfeit game-related sportswear. Fake jerseys, ball caps, T-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs were among the 42,000 items confiscated in Operation Fake Sweep.
Authorities put the total take at more than $4.8 million, up from $3.7 million last year.
The government also is seizing more than 300 websites alleged to have illegally streamed live sporting telecasts over the Internet or sold counterfeit sports merchandise. Also seized were counterfeit Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL items worth about $1.6 million.
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