Though there are numerous details that have yet to be revealed, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf says there is a plan in place to retain the Oakland Raiders.
Such a deal would involve a private investment group that includes Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Lott, along with his fellow investors, have been discussing a proposal to keep the Raiders in Oakland at a football-only facility on a redeveloped Coliseum site.
According to Schaaf, there are some preliminary details in place and Oakland officials are set to review the deal in a closed-door meeting with Alameda County officials next week. For now many of the ins and outs of the agreement are being kept under wraps, but some problems are evident, including questions about the Raiders’ interest. More from the Washington Post:
There are a bunch of problems with this plan to redevelop the land where the Oakland Coliseum sits, however, and here’s the biggest one: City and Alameda County officials have yet to involve the Raiders in any of these plans and owner Mark Davis remains dead-set on moving to Las Vegas, where state officials have promised him $750 million in new hotel-tax money to help build a new stadium.
“The Raiders are committed to Las Vegas, and that’s what I’m working on,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Schaaf released no details about what the plan actually would entail, though in the past she has steadfastly ruled out using public money to build the Raiders a stadium. In a sense, she didn’t have to get into the specifics, at least not yet: The announcement likely wasn’t made with the Raiders in mind but instead the other 31 NFL owners. Once the details are hammered out, she can go to them and say the city is making a concerted effort to keep the team in hopes of persuading nine owners to block the move (24 of the league’s 32 owners have to approve any relocation plan).
While there has been some optimism that Oakland, which has received words of encouragement from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, will ultimately keep the Raiders, the team’s clear focus has been on Las Vegas. Nevada officials have already signed off on a $750 million contribution to the Las Vegas stadium project, which is expected to cost $1.9 billion. Two of the main details that still need to be addressed are the Raiders agreement with billionare Sheldon Adelson, who is a partner in the plan, and approval from the NFL.
At this point the move to Las Vegas is by no means a done deal for the Raiders, but Oakland will have to come out with a strong plan to sway the team’s interest.
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