Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Friday for the first time "shared details of investors’ plans to build a new Oakland stadium for the Raiders in a last-minute attempt to change the narrative that the NFL doesn’t have an alternative in the East Bay," according to Elliott Almond of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Schaaf said that officials are "offering a solid plan" to build a $1.3B stadium on the current site of the Oakland Alameda-County Coliseum, boasting that financial partner Fortress Investment Group would commit $600M as an "investment or loan to fully fund the project." However, it appeared Friday that the details Schaaf offered have "already been reviewed by league officials, who were left unimpressed, and her effort to mount public pressure may have come too late" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/25). ESPN obtained a letter NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote to Schaaf on Friday, the "same day" the city of Oakland submitted the revised financing plan. In the letter Goodell wrote he believes the city has yet to find "a viable solution" to keeping the Raiders in Oakland. He said that the NFL "reviewed the proposal and still believes there are significant problems with it." Goodell: "The material that we reviewed ... confirms that key issues that we have identified as threshold considerations are simply not resolvable in a reasonable time" (ESPN.com, 3/25). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said, "This seems like too little too late for the city of Oakland" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 3/24).
BAY WATCH: Schaaf yesterday asserted Oakland has a "better financial deal for the NFL and for the Raiders” because a stadium there would be less than Las Vegas. She also noted Oakland already has the "transportation and infrastructure in place.” Schaaf, appearing on CSN Bay Area, said, “We have a private partner in Fortress that is willing to finance the gap and make this deal completely financed without any upfront money from the Raiders in the incredible Bay Area market that the NFL knows is worth more than Las Vegas.” She added, "To think that (NFL owners) are not going to damage their brand when they rip a third team out of its community in just a little over a year, I hope that there are nine owners that realize that is not in the long-term interest of the league, let alone the Bay Area.” Schaaf also addressed the difference between Oakland's situation and that of the Rams in St. Louis and Chargers in San Diego, noting Oakland has a "fully financed stadium on a site that is shovel-ready" (CSN Bay Area, 3/26).
THE REAL VICTIM: Pro Football HOFer Ronnie Lott, who is leading the group being funded by Fortress, said, "I feel bad, because this is just starting. It’s going to get ugly. In San Diego, they were upset to lose the Chargers. People in Oakland will be mad." USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell wrote under the header, "Can Anybody Save The Raiders From Leaving Oakland?" Lott is "fighting to the finish." Bell: "It's too bad that won't be enough to seal a deal." For some time now, it seemed that Oakland’s "only shot hinged on the Vegas deal collapsing" (USA TODAY, 3/26). A S.F. CHRONICLE editorial states the Raiders "belong in Oakland." It is "not just a matter of sentiment." As a place for investment, there is "no comparison between the size, wealth and economic diversity of the Bay Area and the roller coaster of the gambling-dependent Las Vegas market." Without corporate welfare, in the form of a $750M public subsidy in Nevada, this "would be no contest." The editorial: "The NFL owes it to Oakland fans -- and to its long-term interest -- to reject the Raiders’ move" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/25). ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg said, "The Oakland Raiders are part of the fabric of pro football, they just feel like football. ... There is something a little bit dangerous about leaving that behind. ... When you move a franchise ... there is no way that the people who are being left behind can accept that as anything but a slap in the face." He added, "I wonder if a little bit too much of this is not eventually going to become something that winds up backfiring on them to some degree" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 3/27).
THE ROOMMATE: In Oakland, Rick Hurd notes with NFL owners seemingly ready to give their approval on a move by the Raiders to Las Vegas, the A's "voiced hope that a resolution could save the team but added that it’s not their issue to solve." A's President Dave Kaval said, "On a high level, we want the Raiders in Oakland." He added, "To see the fans of Oakland lose out is not something we’re rooting for. That said, from our perspective, this isn’t our deal. ... We’re a spectator waiting to see what happens." Kaval: "We don’t want to see teams move. ... It’s not fair to the fans. That’s my personal belief" (EAST BAY TIMES, 3/27). In S.F., Scott Ostler writes the NFL, and apparently Raiders Owner Mark Davis, have "zero interest in working with the A’s." Ostler: "Never mind that the A’s have their own loyal following and rich history in Oakland. Bigfoot Goodell isn’t into sharing" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/27).
