Raiders owner 'absolutely' wants team to stay in Oakland long-term
Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis told NFL.com that he “absolutely” would like for his franchise to stay in the city for the long-term.
The Raiders and San Diego Chargers having proposed building a $1.7 billion stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson if they can’t get new stadiums built in their respective cities.
The Oakland City Council recently approved a new negotiating agreement for a new project at the current Oakland Coliseum complex that could include a new stadium.
Earlier this month, the Raiders renewed their lease at O.co Coliseum for only the 2015 season. O.co Coliseum has been in operation since 1966.
Carson stadium organizers recently said they have collected more than 14,000 petition signatures, which is enough to get the issue on the ballot to be voted on by the city’s residents.
Last summer, Davis was entertaining ideas of possibly moving the team to San Antonio, even holding meeting with city officials.
Davis said last year that the team would be team would be “well received” in Los Angeles. “Raiders Nation is strong in SoCal,” he said.
The St. Louis Rams have also been identified as a candidate for Los Angeles relocation. Rams owner Stan Kroenke is part of a development group planning to build an 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, roughly 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
No team will be able to move until at least January 2016. Any franchise intending to relocate would have to win the support of at least 24 of the 32 NFL teams.
- Scooby Axson
