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With Relocation To Las Vegas, Raiders Get Ready To Begin Process To Build Stadium

The Raiders, after winning relocation to Las Vegas, now face a "32-month stadium construction schedule that cannot begin until four key documents -- a lease, development agreement, non-relocation agreement and a shared-use contract with UNLV -- are signed and ratified," according to Adam Candee of the LAS VEGAS SUN. Both Clark County (Nev.) Commissioner Steve Sisolak and Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board Chairman Steve Hill yesterday said that the project "needs to break ground by December." Raiders President Marc Badain said, "We still have some work to do, we still have a lease to finalize and a few other details. That’s why we’re not doing a large rollout right now. We’ll wait and finalize everything, and then we’ll hold some type of event in Las Vegas." Meanwhile, Raiders Owner Mark Davis "shut the door on discussion of Sam Boyd Stadium as a temporary home for the Raiders at any point before the stadium is finished" in '20. He did leave a message for UNLV President Len Jessup, with whom he will "need to negotiate a deal to share the new facility, to welcome his new 'roommate'" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 3/28). NFL Network's Omar Ruiz said, "The preference, and Raiders favorite, I am told, is an area they’re calling Russell 62; 62 acres of land off of Russell Road. Once that deal is finalized and approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and once the Raiders’ lease and other agreements are put in place, I am told the expectation is that the stadium will take 32 months to complete ("NFL Total Access," NFL Net, 3/27).

REBELS WITH A CAUSE
: CBSSPORTS.com's Ben Kercheval wrote sharing a stadium with an NFL organization "takes away from the collegiate feel of the game, but for a program like UNLV, it’s a gigantic selling point for recruits." It also "gives players access to a far newer -- if not nicer -- facility than most colleges enjoy." UNLV has been playing in Sam Boyd Stadium since the '70s when the structure was built and have been "looking for a new home" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/27). In Las Vegas, Gilbert Manzano writes under the header, "With New Stadium, Las Vegas Will Enter Race For Major Events." Las Vegas "isn’t a shoo-in for the major events, but the stadium at least puts the city in the race." The UNLV football team "could benefit by being able to leverage more home-and-home contracts with top programs such as Ohio State and Michigan" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/28). Manzano writes the Raiders’ new state-of-the-art facility is not expected to open until the '20 season, which could "create an interesting dilemma" for the team if the breakup with Oakland "becomes messy over the next three years." Manzano: "The question would then become, 'Can Sam Boyd Stadium provide a temporary home?'" UNLV AD Tina Kunzer-Murphy in January said the university would be “ready and prepared” for the possibility of hosting the Raiders at Sam Boyd Stadium. But Sisolak "doesn’t see it as a realistic option, calling the 46-year-old home of the Rebels 'not suitable for NFL games" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/28).

TWO FOR ONE: In Las Vegas, Mike Grimala writes the city yesterday "gained two new football teams." UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez said of the Raiders coming to Vegas, "What it’s going to do for this program is huge." It is the "biggest domino to fall so far in Sanchez’s vision for rebuilding the UNLV program." The school is "breaking ground soon on a new on-campus football practice facility, and administrators (including Sanchez) have been vocal about wanting to join a Power 5 conference as soon as possible." Sanchez: "Playing in a world-class facility is another thing that allows us to recruit at a high level" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 3/28).

DESIGNER DIGS: Manica Architecture and HNTB have teamed up to design the Raiders’ new $1.7B stadium in Las Vegas, according to sources. David Manica, owner of the K.C.-based firm, confirmed his role as lead designer. The two architects previously worked together under an old proposal to develop a new stadium in Carson, Calif., for the Raiders and Chargers, which was eliminated in favor of building a new NFL facility in Inglewood. In addition, sources said Mortenson Construction and Legends Global Planning are doing pre-construction work for the Raiders. Raiders execs did not return an email for comment. Legends Global Sales will sell premium seats for the Las Vegas stadium. Multiple sports marketers are competing to broker naming rights for the facility, sources said (Don Muret, Staff Writer).

WORK TO BE DONE: A LAS VEGAS SUN editorial states that yesterday's Raiders announcement is "worthy of a celebration that would be spectacular even by Las Vegas standards -- but a lot of work is in store to prepare for the team’s arrival." The city’s transportation system "needs an upgrade -- fast -- to ensure that tourists and conventioneers continue to enjoy a good visitor experience." That means "investing in light-rail" while also "ensuring that Metro Police and other law enforcement organizations are adequately staffed and equipped to handle influxes of sports fans" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 3/28).

FUTURE FORECASTING: In Richmond, Michael Phillips notes with the Raiders leaving Oakland Alameda-County Coliseum, which was built in '66, the Redskins will "move to the front of the new-stadium line, and talks continue to take place" among the Redskins and government officials in Virginia, Maryland and DC. FedExField opened in '97, just two decades ago, but the new-stadium smell "wore off quickly." The site and design were "rushed into implementation to try to finish the stadium before the death" of former Owner Jack Kent Cooke (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 3/28). In Charlotte, Joseph Person notes the recent relocation of three NFL franchises to L.A. and Las Vegas "raises questions about which team might be the next to move -- or more specifically, would the Panthers ever bolt Charlotte?" The "short answer is not in" Owner Jerry Richardson's lifetime. Despite being a small-market team, a league official said that the Panthers have "strong corporate sponsors" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/28).

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