A 65,000-seat stadium in Las Vegas is Davis’ latest attempt to leave Oakland, where negotiations have stalled, and the city and county have refused the $300 million in public funding Davis wants to get a stadium built.
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Raiders owner Mark Davis (left) and former soccer player David Beckham appear at a Nevada tourism meeting at UNLV. And I think that’s what you do in any relocation and you do with any stadium alternative.
Noting that the Raiders are known as the silver-and-black due to their team colors and Nevada is known as the silver state, Reid said he was upset that Davis reportedly talked about “turning the silver state into the silver-and-black state”.
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Although NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear on several occasions that the league is staunchly against gambling, he seems to be more and more open to a Vegas move by the day.
Davis tried to move the team to Los Angeles and was in competition with the St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers earlier this year.
Wake up! The Las Vegas Raiders could actually happen, like it or not.
“We have made a commitment to Las Vegas and that’s where it stands”, Davis said, via ESPN.com.
Back in Oakland, officials dropped negotiations with the Raiders over a long-term stadium deal while they discussed a lease extension at the Coliseum.
Maybe this is all an elaborate plan by Davis to create leverage and eventually get the stadium he wants in the Bay Area, or somewhere else.
$500 million from Raiders ($200 million from National Football League loan).
Beckham’s plans to launch an MLS team in Miami have been bogged down by protracted wrangling over where to build a new stadium, although investors last month announced they had purchased land for a venue. The Rams, Chargers, Cowboys, Texans and 49ers would all probably favor a move (it would keep the Raiders from potentially landing in their markets), so theoretically, Davis would only need to convince 18 other owners. The Raiders would then move to Vegas in time for the 2019 season.
As for Oakland, the two sides have not progressed since the Raiders bid for Los Angeles in January.
“When my father passed away, to continue his legacy with this football team, the number one thing is to find a stadium, find a home”, Davis said, “and that’s what I’m looking to do”.
“I’m beyond words that he would make a “lifetime commitment” to Las Vegas but not make the same commitment to a city that has had a lifetime commitment to his family, their partners and the franchise for more than 40 years”, said Jim Zelinski, a co-founder of Save Oakland Sports.
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He also recalled the Raiders playing an exhibition game in Las Vegas in 1964. Whether there’s truly the fan support there.
