Raiders Owner Mark Davis on Friday toured Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium to evaluate if the facility "could serve as a temporary home" for the team, according to Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Sam Boyd Stadium Exec Dir Mike Newcomb said that the 90-minute tour "went well." Newcomb: "They're really excited about Las Vegas. Mr. Davis has never been to Sam Boyd before, and I think he was surprised and excited about how nice it was." Carp noted the stadium, which opened in '71 and is home to the UNLV football team, underwent a renovation in '99 that "included a new press box, luxury suites, club seats and other amenities." Sam Boyd currently seats 35,500, but Newcomb said that an expansion in the north end zone "could boost capacity to 45,000." The tour was Davis' "second known trip to Las Vegas in the past three months" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/1). CSNBAYAREA.com's Scott Bair noted there has been "little progress" on a new stadium for the Raiders in Oakland, with the team this year playing on a "recently approved one-year lease" at Oakland Alameda Coliseum. There have been "mixed sentiments" on Las Vegas as an NFL option. Some owners "seem in favor of that market, while others say that moving there would be difficult" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 4/1).
