Today Mark Davis took some shots at Oakland while making his push to convince the NFL owners to approve the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas. He went as far as to call Las Vegas a “real home” and said Oakland has presented nothing to keep the team.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf had a counter to Davis’s assertion, making a statement of her own.
“I know that there is a lot of interest in what is going to happen with the Raiders, and whether Oakland can keep its team from being ripped away from Bay Area fans for a second time,” Mayor Schaaf said in a statement.
“If Oakland is going to be successful in offering the Raiders and the NFL a viable alternative to moving to Las Vegas, I have to stay clearheaded. I cannot afford for us to be thrown off our game because Nevada lawmakers have deemed it appropriate to put $750M in public money towards a private sports facility. While I’m committed to keeping the Raiders, I will not enter into a bidding war with Nevada using public funds.
“That’s why I remain focused on working out concrete deal terms that give the NFL’s owners an Oakland option to consider. I believe that in partnership with Alameda County and the team Ronnie Lott has assembled, we can offer a serious plan in the coming weeks that is fair to the Raiders, the league, the fans and the Oakland taxpayers to whom I am most responsible.”
Roger Goodell has stated many times his first priority would be to have the Raiders remain in Oakland. He has been in discussions with Schaaf and the city of Oakland in order to help facilitate any deal possible.
This is key because regardless of the fact that Nevada has approved the funding for the new stadium and everything there going swimmingly, Oakland’s viability for keeping the team also plays a role in whether the league owners will approve the move. And at this point, it appears there are a good number of owners, as well as the commissioner who would like something to happen to keep the Raiders in Oakland and a thriving Bay Area market.
Loading comments...