PHOENIX — The Raiders are going to Vegas.
The NFL’s owners approved the relocation with a 31-1 vote Monday at the Arizona Biltmore during the league’s annual meetings.
It was an overwhelming approval, given that only 24 yes votes were necessary. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was the sole vote against, his dissent expressing his belief that teams should do everything they can to remain loyal to their home communities.
“The Raiders were born in Oakland and Oakland will always be part of our DNA,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said. “We know that some fans will be disappointed and even angry, but we hope that they do not direct that frustration to the players, coaches and staff.”
Davis said that the team plans to stay in Oakland for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and is open to the possibility of staying for 2019 as well. NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman said that the Las Vegas stadium will be ready by 2020.
Davis also said that fans who have already purchased season ticket packages will be refunded if they so choose. The team will continue to go by the Oakland Raiders as long as it remains in Oakland.
“I don’t know how we should feel. I feel the pain of our fans in Oakland. I also see the joy on the faces of our new fans in Las Vegas. As players, we will show up and give everything we have,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr wrote in a statement posted on his Twitter page.
The Raiders have committed $500 million to the stadium project, with another $750 million coming in public funding from a hotel tax that the state of Nevada has already begun collecting. Bank of America is also assisting in financing the $1.9 billion stadium near the Las Vegas Strip.
Davis, Goodell, and Grubman all said that they were disappointed in the efforts put forward by the city of Oakland to replace the Oakland Coliseum, which the Raiders share with the Oakland A’s.
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf made a last-minute effort to convince the NFL to delay the voteMonday after making a presentation last week. She said in a statement that the city of Oakland had offered a $1.3 billion plan for a new stadium at the Coliseum site that would be ready by 2021.
“We know we are unable to provide the level of public subsidy Nevada offers. But Nevada’s $750 million does not even cover all of the relocation fee, practice facility and cost of building a stadium roof – all costs that are unnecessary in our incumbent location with its mild Bay Area climate,” Schaaf wrote. “As such, Oakland has provided comparable financing in the Bay Area market that is bigger and far more valuable than Las Vegas.”
Goodell, however, said that the plan didn’t do enough to convince the NFL that Oakland could provide longterm stability.
Davis said that the tides turned toward relocation after the Raiders lost their bid to relocate to Los Angeles last year. He said that he felt the city of Oakland felt it would have the upper-hand in negotiations after the Raiders lost the bid, and then didn’t negotiate in good faith with the team once it did.
The Raiders will be the third NFL team to be approved for relocation in just over a year. The Rams moved from Saint Louis to Los Angeles last year, while the Chargers announced their move from San Diego to Los Angeles in January.
• Nora Princiotti can be reached at nprinciotti@washingtontimes.com.
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