Derek Carr may want to let Tom Hanks know he’s not a true Raiders fan.
Academy Award winner and Oakland native Tom Hanks is pretty pissed about his Raiders moving to Las Vegas. And he let his feelings known in a fundraiser meant to raise money for two local nonprofit groups.
“When the Raiders leave, I am going on an NFL moratorium for two years.
“You cannot take the Silver and Black, put them in an air-conditioned dome in the desert, make them play on artificial turf within a stone’s throw of the fountains of Caesar’s Palace, and call them the Raiders.
“Here’s the thing I don’t quite understand. And I’m not trying to — this isn’t one of the (many) causes I’m fighting for. I’m just thinking as a fan: It’s a billion-dollar industry, they have billion-dollar TV contracts. All the owners are billionaires. And yet when they want to build a stadium they’re going to use for 10 weeks out of the year, they expect the city taxpayers to buy the building.
“The only good thing that is going to come out of the Oakland Raiders leaving — and there is nothing good that will come out of that, by the way — is that the Oakland A’s might get their own ballpark.”
Hanks has been a longtime Raiders fan and among all the viewpoints people have had about the Raiders to Vegas, there hasn’t been much from those who have been Raiders fans for years. Surely not every local Raiders fan will follow Hanks and boycott the league but I’m sure many are as pissed off at the NFL as he is.
Hanks also mentioned his hatred for the DH rule after sharing his thoughts on the Raiders. He also didn’t hold back on describing how he feels about former A’s owner Charlie Finley.
“I must say I hate that frigging D.H. rule. I always have, ever since that bastard Charlie Finley installed it. We’re not proud of that over on the other side of the East Bay.”
If Tom Hanks isn’t going to watch football, may we suggest the other form of football. Hanks is a noted Portland Timbers and Aston Villa fan. Villa is in the English Championship so he may not be able to watch them much. The Timbers are currently top of the MLS standings and have scored more goals than any other team this season so that may be what Tom Hanks wants to do on weekends.
[San Francisco Chronicle/Photo: Getty Images]
