Oakland Raiders officially file application to move to Los Angeles area
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Oakland Raiders have officially filed an application to relocate the franchise to the Los Angeles area.
The Raiders filed the papers Monday night to go back to Los Angeles for the second time. The team left Oakland following the 1981 season before returning from Los Angeles in 1995.
With NFL owners poised to make a decision about a possible move to Carson, Coach Jack Del Rio was asked whether he thought his team should stay in Oakland. "I grew up in Hayward," he said. "I'm back home. I've said I love the fact that I'm back home. But again, it's not my position."
Quarterback Derek Car reiterated his coach's statement by saying, "That's not up to me."
Oakland fans may have gained an unlikely ally, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York who told reporters that his preference is for teams to stay in their home cities. "I think it's vitally important at the National Football League that we do everything that we can to stay in markets that we're in," he said.
The Raiders released a statement saying: "In accordance with the relocation policies, the Oakland Raiders submitted a relocation package to the NFL. The matter is now in the hands of the NFL's owners. An owners' meeting is scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas on January 12 and 13, 2016."
The NFL released a statement in response saying: Three teams - the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers - each submitted applications to our office today to relocate their franchises to the Los Angeles area beginning with the 2016 season. Each team submitted the appropriate documentation in support of its application as required by the NFL Policy and Procedures for Proposed Franchise Relocations. The applications will be reviewed this week by league staff and three league committees that will meet in New York on Wednesday and Thursday -- the Los Angeles Opportunities, Stadium, and Finance committees. The applications will be presented for consideration at next week's league meeting in Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32)."
Owner Mark Davis wants to partner with the division rival San Diego Chargers to build a stadium in Carson.
The Chargers and St. Louis Rams also filed a relocation application Monday night.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke wants to build a stadium in Inglewood.
The league's owners will vote next week in Houston on whether to allow any of the three teams to move.
VIDEO: Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tries to convince NFL to keep Raiders in East Bay
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
