A deal to build a stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas "continued to unravel" yesterday as Goldman Sachs "pulled away from the project," according to Nathan Fenno of the L.A. TIMES. The Raiders previously told the NFL that Goldman "would finance" part of the $1.9B proposal even without Las Vegas Sands Chair & CEO Sheldon Adelson’s involvement. Adelson withdrew from the deal Monday, and a source said that the arrangement with Goldman was "contingent on Adelson’s partnership with the Raiders in the development." Without Adelson, the source said that there "isn’t any deal." A spokesperson for Adelson said that he "didn’t ask Goldman Sachs to pull out of the deal." Though NFL owners had been expected to vote at their meeting in March on the Raiders’ relocating, the "chaotic 24 hours cast doubt on the likelihood of bringing the matter to a speedy resolution." Nevada state Sen. Aaron Ford yesterday suggested that public money for the stadium "could be diverted for other purposes if the situation isn't quickly resolved." Fenno notes the Raiders last week "submitted a 117-page proposed lease to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority without Adelson’s knowledge that included the team’s paying $1 a year in rent and didn’t mention the billionaire." Adelson issued a "strongly worded statement Monday ending the partnership." A source close to Adelson described the "possibility of salvaging the relationship as 'unlikely' and 'beyond complicated.'" Some in the NFL are "waiting to see if another billionaire will step forward to fill the financing void left by Adelson’s departure." It is "unclear why the Raiders and Goldman Sachs told owners they didn’t need Adelson for the project to work" (L.A. TIMES, 2/1). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport cited sources as saying that there has been "no direct link" between Goldman Sachs and Adelson. The Raiders "do believe they can get this done" ("Super Bowl Live," NFL Network, 1/31).
BUMP IN THE ROAD: In Las Vegas, Richard Velotta in a front-page piece notes Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak yesterday spoke with Raiders President Marc Badain but "received no reassurance that there was a path toward getting the deal on track." Sisolak said, "They’re (the Raiders) looking for another potential entity to fill that void. I personally haven’t heard of anybody who could step up." Sisolak said that he "expects the Las Vegas Stadium Authority to continue the work of reviewing a stadium lease with the Raiders" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/1). In San Jose, Elliott Almond notes the Raiders at the beginning of the week were "looking to get NFL approval for the move as early as the owners meetings March 26-29 in Phoenix." However, the vote "could be delayed until the team has secured strong financial backing to build a stadium" that would open in '20 (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/1). Also in San Jose, Tim Kawakami writes, "I cannot imagine that the NFL will go ahead with the planned up-or-down vote on the Raiders’ Las Vegas project in March." The last thing the NFL wants to do is "jump hastily into Las Vegas." Kawakami: "If Raiders [Owner Mark Davis] demanded a vote, I think at this point Las Vegas would be rejected flatly, maybe even by a majority of the owners" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/1).
PIECE OF THE PIE: ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez wrote there is a "feeling that NFL owners are more comfortable with Adelson and his casino connections no longer in the picture, especially because there was a growing feeling that Adelson either wanted a piece of the Raiders or wanted a path to ownership" (ESPN.com, 1/31). In S.F., Matier & Ross note there was "widespread speculation that in exchange for his money, Adelson wanted at least a piece of the team, something Davis might not have parted with willingly." Sisolak, however, said that he "never heard any such talk from Adelson." Sisolak said Adelson was "very disappointed, very unhappy ... but that never came up" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/1).
NEXT MAN UP? In S.F., Vic Tafur in a front-page piece writes the Raiders "need to go shopping for another financial partner." Majestic Realty President & Chair Ed Roski "lost out to Adelson in the original deal and may have interest." Former UFC co-Owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta also have been "mentioned as possible partners" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/1). CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora said, "You've got people like Steve Wynn, I guess you've got Ed Roski. But are they going to step in, in that climate, and try to bail Mark Davis out?" ("Time to Schein," CBS Sports Network, 1/31). ESPN's Michael Wilbon: "There's a billionaire approximately every 50 yards in Las Vegas, so they can find another one" ("PTI," ESPN, 1/31).
NOT THE END OF THE GAME: In L.A., Sam Farmer writes, "This is a game of poker, and there are more cards to be flipped." The Raiders could "wind up working with another investment bank, another big-money Las Vegas backer ... or patching things up and coming back to the bargaining table with Adelson and/or Goldman Sachs." Regardless, this is an "awkward sideshow when the NFL was hoping the spotlight would be entirely on Super Bowl LI." This is more "relocation drama, cropping up at the wrong time, for a league that cannot seem to put it to rest" (L.A. TIMES, 2/1). Meanwhile, a LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL editorial states the NFL and Davis seem "intent on demanding more and more and more from all involved." The league and Davis "aren't doing themselves any favors by attempting to dominate the negotiating process simply because they can." Davis and the NFL would go a long way toward "cultivating community goodwill and demonstrating their commitment to Southern Nevada if they dialed back the arrogance" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/1).
QUICK REPLACEMENT? In San Diego, Kevin Acee in a front-page piece notes city officials are "clearly intrigued by the possibility of becoming an NFL town again sooner rather than later." In the wake of Monday’s Raiders news, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer spoke with an NFL official to let the league know the city is "eager to engage when appropriate." Sources said that another person "representing the city exchanged calls with a Raiders official, though it is not clear whether the sides spoke." But Acee notes interest in "bringing any NFL team to San Diego is no reason to pump the brakes on the process of vetting the group of investors seeking to land an MLS expansion franchise for the city." An effort to bring an NFL franchise to San Diego would "actually be aided by the proposal to build a soccer stadium and mixed-use development on the Mission Valley site that currently houses Qualcomm Stadium" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/1). Also in San Diego, Tom Krasovic writes the "odds are so steep" for the Raiders to move to San Diego that it "seems a waste of time to get worked up about it" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/1). But in L.A., Vincent Bonsignore writes under the header, "Raiders In San Diego Not As Crazy As It Sounds" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/1).
