It’s Official: The Oakland Raiders File for Relocation to Las Vegas.
In a move that should surprise no one, the Oakland Raiders have officially filed for relocation to Las Vegas. This according to a tweet by Clark County chairman Steve Sisolak.
Instant Reactions are already coming in. Nevada governor Brian Sandoval had this to say.
Mark Davis is a man of his word. The filing of the @RAIDERS app for relocation w/ the @NFL is a significant step in bringing the team to #NV
— Governor Sandoval (@GovSandoval) January 19, 2017
And others chimed in as well.
BREAKING NEWS: It’s official the Raiders filed papers for re-location to VEGAS today. #exciting #LasVegasRaidersBaby
— Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (@katkinson702) January 19, 2017
Our statement re Raiders. pic.twitter.com/Ru4BNulNUK
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) January 19, 2017
Excited that the Raiders have taken another step toward making Las Vegas their home. Las Vegas is ready for major league sports!
— Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) January 19, 2017
An owners vote in March is expected and according to sources will be a formality.
Reasons for this are plenty.
Oakland has not come up with a viable plan. Their latest offer was flatly rejected. Eric Grumbman, NFL Vice Pesident and relocation Czar, reiterated that there was “Nothing new” in the latest proposal. This is important. Per NFL rules, a team must exhaust all paths in their home market. The Raiders have done that, and, like last year, their relocation application will be approved.
Las Vegas, on the other hand, has approved 1.65 billion in public funding, and Goldman Sachs has guaranteed the rest. This is important. With 100% of the funding inked and guaranteed in Las Vegas, owners know that if they approve the move it will be final.
A deal in Oakland has insurmountable obstacles per league sources.
In Oakland that is not the case. If the owners were to accept the offer from Ronnie Lott‘s group, that would not be final. Lott’s group is not the final arbiter, Oakland and Alameda are. Which means either government entity could veto or ask for a revision of any deal. The Raiders were already burned by this last February when the team and Joint Powers Authority agreed to a lease deal. Only to have that overruled by the city of Oakland.
Sources tell me that is a major obstacle for the NFL and Raiders. And why Eric Grubman was not optimistic about dealing with a 3rd party back in December. Another major obstacle is the land. The NFL or the Raiders must control the land, through lease or purchase. With out that option there is no possibility of a deal in Oakland.
Lastly Oakland and Alameda entered into a exclusive negotiating agreement with the Lott group without the Raiders or NFLs approval. NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell warned Oakland about doing this back in May and yet the local governments did it anyways. In the business world the NFL is very unforgiving, and because of this, and everything else in this article, the NFL is now 100% behind Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Raiders, again it will take some time getting used to.
