NFL
owners approve Oakland Raiders' move to Las Vegas
Send a link to a friend
[March 28, 2017]
By Rory Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - National
Football League team owners gave the green light on Monday to the
Oakland Raiders to move to Las Vegas, paving the way for the
building of a $1.9 billion stadium in the U.S. gambling capital.
The plan by Raiders owner Mark Davis, who has been the driving force
behind the relocation effort, won the support of 31 of the league's
32 owners, with only the Miami Dolphins' ownership dissenting.
"My father used to say that the greatness of the Raiders was in its
future," Davis said, referring to Al Davis, from whom he inherited
the team in 2011.
"The opportunity to build a world-class stadium in the entertainment
capital of the world will give us the opportunity to achieve that
greatness," he told reporters following the vote.
The Raiders will play the 2017, 2018 and possibly 2019 seasons in
Oakland before kicking off the 2020 season in Las Vegas, Davis said.
It marks the second time Oakland fans will see the Raiders leave the
city where they began play in 1960 in the old American Football
League.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Mar/28/images/ads/current/Monsanto_sda_SFARM_2017.png)
The team, known for its black and silver uniforms and working-class
appeal, played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before returning to
Oakland. The team won two Super Bowl championships in Oakland in
1977 and 1981 and one in Los Angeles in 1984.
Oakland is also about to lose the Golden State Warriors National
Basketball Association team, which is building an arena in
neighboring San Francisco
Davis acknowledged some fans in Oakland would be disappointed and
even angry at the decision, but said frustration should be directed
at him and not the team's coaches or players.
He said his goal in the meantime was to "bring a championship back
to Oakland."
MOVE HAD BEEN IN DOUBT
The Las Vegas relocation plan appeared to be all but dead after
casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and later Goldman Sachs <GS.N> changed
their minds earlier this year about helping to finance the stadium
construction.
Adelson had pledged up to $650 million toward construction of the
domed stadium but pulled his support in January after the team
presented a lease proposal without his knowledge.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/032817pics/sports61.jpg)
Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Edwards (30) leaps into the
stands to celebrate with fans after a touchdown against the
Indianapolis Colts during the second quarter at the Oakland
Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
The Raiders secured financing to replace Adelson's
portion from Bank of America Corp <BAC.N>.
An additional $750 million will come from public funds via a
visitor's tax on Las Vegas strip hotel rooms.
The Raiders will become the second major professional sports
franchise to be based in Las Vegas. The National Hockey League's
Vegas Golden Knights begin playing in the 2017-18 season.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf made an 11th-hour push over the weekend
to convince the owners and the NFL to delay the vote so she could
promote a plan to keep the team in Oakland. It included a new, $1.3
billion stadium.
The plan would also have set aside land for the Oakland Athletics
baseball team, which currently shares the 51-year-old Oakland
Coliseum with the Raiders.
"We had a fully financed, shovel-ready project that was a
public-private partnership and we are incredibly disappointed that
was not selected," Schaaf told a news conference on Monday.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said there were too many unanswered
questions surrounding the Oakland stadium plan for it to be viable.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/directory_buttons.png)
"We understand that contingencies sometimes occur but major
contingencies that put the entire project into doubt are just
unreasonable," he said at a new conference, citing issues about
where the stadium would be located and the fate of the Athletics,
who are seeking a new ballpark.
(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Peter Cooney) [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed. |