The Oakland Raiders attempts to figure out a stadium solution are picking up some steam in several areas. The team continues to look at opportunities in Las Vegas, with county commissioners considering a financing package. While Las Vegas seems like a potential front-runner, a new opportunity has arisen in Oakland, involving some former players. One of whom is kind of a big deal for 49ers fans.
In recent weeks, the San Francisco Chronicle has been reporting that all-time great safety Ronnie Lott, and not awful quarterback Rodney Peete are building a group that could potentially help finance a stadium in Oakland, at the Coliseum site. And now, the Chronicle is reporting Roger Goodell has been making calls to push the city of Oakland and the Raiders to consider this group.
The Chronicle is reporting Lott's group got a "chilly reception" with the city because Mayor Libby Schaaf wants any developers to be brought to her by the Raiders specifically. The issue might be that the Lott group wants a percentage of ownership in any deal. Mark Davis has seemed reluctant to give up any sizable chunk of the team, but that might be required to complete financing. The Chronicle says the ownership part is attractive to Goodell because the NFL is the only major sports league in the US that does not have any African American representation in ownership.
The whole stadium situation remains a mess. The Oakland A's have been trying to figure out their own stadium situation, and that only adds to the problems, particularly at the Coliseum site. It remains to be seen if Lott and company can push this further along. The Las Vegas stadium stuff is rather interesting, but remains up in the air. Other owners have started to fall in line supporting a potential move to Las Vegas, which could be the momentum needed to make that happen. In the meantime, the Raiders and A's continue to try and figure out their respective futures.
Lott spent two years of his career with the Raiders, before wrapping up with two years as a member of the New York Jets. He's remained in the Bay Area, likely developing a nice rolodex of contacts. He remains a 49er in our eyes, but he wouldn't be the first one to advance his post-playing career elsewhere. Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark went to the Cleveland Browns at one point. Additionally, Policy has been involved in the LA discussions in recent years. And if Lott wants a chunk of ownership, the Raiders are the best bet for that.