Raiders owner Mark Davis: Oakland 'shut the door on itself' in stadium move

Kristen Sze Image
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Raiders owner Mark Davis: Oakland "shut the door on itself" in stadium move
Raiders owner Mark Davis put on a show Wednesday trying to convince other team owners to support his proposed move to Las Vegas.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Raiders owner Mark Davis put on a show Wednesday at the NFL owners meeting in Houston, trying to convince other team owners to support his proposed move to Las Vegas.

RELATED: Does the NFL want a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas?

Davis told them that Oakland has "shut the door on itself" by doing nothing to keep the Raiders in the city.

ESPN tweeted that Davis will file for relocation to Las Vegas in January.

This of course comes two days after Nevada's governor signed a bill approving $750 million in public funding to help build the stadium that would be shared by the Raiders and UNLV.

"We would love to have the Raiders stay in Oakland. We think that that's a positive thing," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "Our staff is working with the mayor and the officials in the Oakland area to see if there are alternatives out there, but we haven't, we don't have one yet."

"What one person told me is that Libbie Schaff needs to come to the next owners meeting and make her presence known, and Oakland needs to present a stadium design and plan and financing that the ownership can evaluate," said Oakland vlogger Zennie Abraham.

RELATED: Fans say they won't give up on the Raiders following Nevada Stadium vote

In a statement just released Oakland Mayor Libbie Schaaf said:

I know that there is a lot of interest in what is going to happen with the Raiders, and whether Oakland can keep its team from being ripped away from Bay Area fans for a second time.

If Oakland is going to be successful in offering the Raiders and the NFL a viable alternative to moving to Las Vegas, I have to stay clearheaded. I cannot afford for us to be thrown off our game because Nevada lawmakers have deemed it appropriate to put $750 million in public money towards a private sports facility. While I'm committed to keeping the Raiders, I will not enter into a bidding war with Nevada using public funds."

That's why I remain focused on working out concrete deal terms that give the NFL's owners an Oakland option to consider. I believe that in partnership with Alameda County and the team Ronnie Lott has assembled, we can offer a serious plan in the coming weeks that is fair to the Raiders, the league, the fans and the Oakland taxpayers to whom I am most responsible.

A lot needs to be done before league owners will even consider the move first, they want a study to see if Las Vegas can support an NFL team. Plus, Vegas still hasn't settled on a site, bought the land or even chosen a developer so Bay Area fans are still in the game.

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