Just days since the Raiders made their first trip back to the playoffs in 14 years, and fan support in Oakland is at a fever pitch, Mark Davis continues his machinations to uproot the team. Raiders brass heads to New York today to meet with the NFL and formally start the wheels in motion in their quest for Las Vegas.
Everything looks to be set with regard to the funding and plans for the stadium in Las Vegas. They got their $750 million in public funds approved, leaving just the matter of convincing the NFL owners to approve the move.
There are those who have been saying and continue to say that there is strong support from NFL owners to approve the Raiders for the move to Vegas. Does that mean they have the requisite 24 votes from the owners? Not necessarily. And that’s what Oakland has been clinging to up to this point.
Over the past couple months, they have been cobbling together plans with a group headed up by former Raiders and 49ers Hall of Fame safety, Ronnie Lott, in the hopes of finding a solution to keep the Raiders in Oakland. It seemed like a big step in the right direction.
Then there was this little bombshell from Jim Trotter on Tuesday:
Said one source: "The league views SD as salvageable. Oakland is not." Hence, tomorrow's meeting to clear a path for Raiders to Vegas.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) January 10, 2017
@byjoelanderson nfl thinking: resolves raiders issue, possibly keeps chargers in sd, keeps LA #2 open as leverage against other cities?
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) January 11, 2017
The wording of that seems pretty damning. And it might be. After all, it’s one thing to say Oakland is not viable, it’s another to say it’s not salvageable, which is to suggest there isn’t much hope it can ever be viable.
No decision will be made today. This is just the formal relocation request in which the Raiders will present their case to the league and the NFL will in turn ask questions and this whole thing moves to the next stage, in which, based on the various details on the proposal, the league will get a much more clear picture and be able to make an informed decision.
The actual vote will occur at the owners meetings on March 26. Though Mark Purdy of the Mercury News says complications could drag out the move long past then.
In the meantime, Oakland will have to make sure they don’t screw this thing up by playing politics. They must continue to work toward putting together a serious plan, because right now the NFL does not like their chances. A breakthrough is needed on the Oakland end of things and they have a short couple months to make it.
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