NFL, Goodell presage grim news for Oakland

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded Friday to Oakland’s fourth-quarter effort to keep the Raiders from moving to Las Vegas, according to National Football League officials.

In a letter to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sent Friday evening, Goodell said issues important to keeping the Raiders in Oakland are “not resolvable in the short term.” The letter came ahead of a meeting by owners, coaches and general managers starting Monday when a vote could allow Raiders’ owner Mark Davis to move the team to “Sin City” in Nevada.

Oakland’s effort included a news conference and rally on Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum’s Eastside Club where fans gathered inside and outside.

Goodell said in the letter that a proposal sent to him Friday by city officials is not “clear and specific, actionable in a reasonable time frame and free of major contingencies.” But Schaaf said Saturday that the city has a 55-acre site that is ready for workers to start construction on a reported $1.3 billion stadium.

She said the city’s proposal is as clear as possible without sitting down with Davis and the Raiders’ officials:

“We need the Raiders at the table.”

Goodell said the main issues with the city’s proposal is the money being contributed by New York hedge fund Fortress Investment Group and city officials’ commitment to the Oakland A’s baseball team.

But Schaaf said the city will not give up its commitment to the A’s and doesn’t need to. The proposal includes space for a new A’s stadium.

Raiders officials would have complete control of separate land amounting to 55 acres.

Schaaf said:

“We are not kicking our A’s out of town.”

Goodell said it’s also not clear how the site “will be developed, the nature of the participation by Fortress or other parties, or what approvals are in place for development.” Also, other previously identified issues remain unaddressed, according to Goodell.

Twenty-four of the 32 NFL teams would have to approve a move to Las Vegas. The Raiders would play the 2017 and 2018 seasons in Oakland before moving, according to NFL officials.

Goodell said at this coming week’s meeting, the teams will consider the Raiders’ application to move to Las Vegas, which will include a “thorough review of our collective efforts in Oakland.”