Raiders owner Mark Davis has made it clear that he plans to pursue opportunities in Las Vegas regardless of whether Oakland finally kick-starts an effort to build a stadium in the team’s current home. Meanwhile, Oakland may finally be kick-starting an effort to build a stadium in the team’s current home.
The kicking is leading to more sputtering than starting, however. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Commissioner Roger Goodell has begun making calls aimed at building support for a Ronnie Lott/Rodney Peete-led project. Goodell’s support reportedly contributed to a reversal from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf regarding her prior reluctance to meet with Lott and Peete’s group.
“I am encouraged by the team [Lott] has assembled,” Schaaf told the Chronicle. “My recent conversations with Commissioner Goodell and others have given me confidence it’s time to continue our conversations.”
Via CSNBayArea.com, Schaaf later issued a statement clarifying her comments, sending a strong and unequivocal message that Oakland won’t once again enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with a developer not approved by the Raiders.
The problem is that, at this point, the Raiders won’t be inclined to approve any developer who would be developing a stadium in Oakland. Davis has made that clear. Thus, anything that happens in Oakland will be happening against a backdrop that has Davis dropping Oakland as a potential location for his team.
And that sets the stage for Goodell and at least nine other owners twisting the team’s arm to cooperate with Oakland before abandoning it. Although the Raiders already have secured permission to move to L.A. if the Chargers don’t exercise dibs on being the second team in Kroenkeworld before January, the owners can do whatever they want to do, including revoking their permission for the Raiders to relocate based on the emergence of a potentially viable stadium solution.
Or maybe Goodell is expressing support for a stadium project in Oakland to help ensure that Las Vegas will come up with the public money needed to build a stadium there.
Regardless, it’s not yet official that the Raiders will be leaving Oakland.
