Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly offered the Oakland Athletics a 20% ownership share in return for a new stadium.
If Jimmy Durkin, beat writer for the Oakland Raiders, is correct, the team’s owner Mark Davis tried to solve the franchise’s need for a new stadium by offering a 20 percent ownership share of the Raiders to the Oakland Athletics.
Davis said A's weren't interested in tearing down Coliseum and building two new stadiums on site. Said he offered them 20% of #Raiders.
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) April 4, 2017
It’s a surprising reveal behind the curtain to some of the machinations at work before the Raiders decided to ultimately move to Las Vegas. The Athletics have had stadium issues of their own for some time, and the decision to blow up the Coliseum and build two new stadiums makes sense on paper for both franchises. However, the A’s ownership group didn’t like it enough to take the deal, likely as they were inhibited by their current lease as well as the costs involved, if it was indeed offered as reported.
Mark Davis says on @957thegame that he felt they had a chance at deal in Oakland around '13-'14 but A's 10/year lease spoiled that.
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) April 4, 2017
The Oakland Raiders will now be the Las Vegas Raiders within the next three years, and could also find themselves as the San Antonio Raiders for a single season as they await a new stadium being built in Sin City. It will be interesting to see how much of a distraction, if any, the upcoming move has on the players and the fan base this coming season for the Raiders.