Head of Oakland Coliseum Authority resigns over RingCentral naming deal

The hits keep on coming for Oakland and the Raiders. Just this week, Raiders owner Mark Davis lashed out at the city of Oakland and those controlling the Coliseum over their treatment of his team in an interview with The Athletic. On Friday, the head of the Coliseum Authority, Scott McKibben, resigned over ethical violations arising from his dealings in the RingCentral naming rights deal for the stadium.

The problems stem from a possible $50,000 commission received by McKibben from the $1M per year deal, though McKibben denies receiving any fee. He also claims to believe he was exempt from the rules of the Fair Political Practices Commission, who set and enforce conflict of interest rules in business deals such as this one, because he was acting as a contractor while negotiating the deal. McKibben has led the Coliseum Authority since 2015 and received a contract extension in 2017 after nearly being poached to lead the Levi’s Stadium Authority in Santa Clara.

There is no indication as of yet whether this development will impact the name of the Coliseum going forward, but it’s just another example of the rampant corruption inherent in the Oakland political scene. Perhaps it’s good that the Raiders will move on to a place like Las Vegas where the mob that runs the city has a higher moral standing.