The Raiders mission for relocating to Las Vegas got complicated on Monday, when casino magnate Sheldon Adelson pulled his $650 million investment in a $1.9 billion stadium proposal.
That gave former 49ers and Raiders safety Ronnie Lott an opportunity to promote his plan to build a football stadium to keep the Raiders in Oakland.
That proposal, led by Fortress Investments, was not well received by the NFL. The Raiders have simply ignored it to this point.
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[RATTO: Oakland Raiders? Las Vegas Raiders? Other? All things are chaos]
Lott said in a statement that his group would happily pair with the Raiders on an Oakland stadium plan.
“We stand ready to work with the team and NFL to keep the Raiders here at home,” the Lott Group said in a statement. “We have the land available at the existing Coliseum site following the actions of the City of Oakland and Alameda County last December. We have a strong financing partner in Fortress Investment Group. We have an additional $100 million due to the NFL incentive to keep the Raiders in Oakland. And of course, we have the best fans in the world right here in the heart of Raider Nation. Add to all that a diverse and fast growing community, a top 10 television market, and more Fortune 500 companies than any region in the western United States. Bottom line, if the Raiders want to stay in Oakland, we are more than ready to be a partner in making that happen.”
The Lott Group entered into a negotiating agreement this fall with Oakland and Alameda County to create a stadium proposal designed to keep the Raiders in the East Bay.
