Las Vegas wants the Raiders to come to them, but Oakland is putting up a fight to keep the NFL franchise from skipping town for a second time. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf thinks her office has a deal in place that could keep the Raiders in her city rather than pack up and leave for Vegas.
Breaking: # Oakland mayor @LibbySchaaf says she's reached agreement with Ronnie Lott group to build stadium, keep #Raiders from leaving https://t.co/DeK49unb7k
— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) November 22, 2016
“The mayor said this a.m. there is a framework that that has been agreed upon and now in closed session today (county) and closed session on Nov. 29 (city council),” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said, according to NBC Bay Area. “Both bodies will review so we know if we can move forward.”
It might be worth noting that NFL legend, former Raider, and longtime San Francisco 49ers star Ronnie Lott is involved with the group attempting to put together a new stadium plan to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Whether that means anything in the long run is a total guess, but it does lend a little credibility to the efforts being made, because Lott would likely prefer to see the Raiders stay in place. Lott lives in Cupertino and has become an avid San Jose Sharks fans (according to Wikipedia). This just goes to show Lott is invested in the sports scene in the Bay area, and the Raiders have a clear stake in that scene.
"The Ronnie Lott Group" has stated many months ago that they can help finance a stadium only if they get a large share of the Raiders team. https://t.co/qZuCgM2X3c
— LOLKNBRHosts (@LOLKNBRHosts) November 22, 2016
The new stadium agreement must be approved by the Board of Supervisors and the Oakland City Council before the final touches on the formal plan can be put together, because politics I guess. That should lead to being presented to the city council next Tuesday.
The Raiders have not said they are ready to leave Oakland but it is one of the worst-kept secrets that Las Vegas is making its pitch to lure the Raiders away. And with the Oakland Coliseum an aging facility, it makes sense why the Raiders would want to leave for a new venue. even if it is in a new city.
