The Raiders’ breakup with Oakland was always going to be messy. Without a stadium ready in Las Vegas, the team will awkwardly remain in Oakland for the next couple of seasons, which isn’t exactly sitting well with the city.
But on Wednesday, the breakup got even messier.
As CBS San Francisco reported Wednesday, the Raiders might owe as much as $800,000 to the Coliseum stadium authority in unpaid parking revenue. And if they don’t pay that money back, the option that the Raiders exercised to play at the Coliseum in 2017 could be voided. The Raiders disagree on the amount of money they owe.
CBS San Francisco’s Doug Sovern has more:
An audit by the authority discovered the Raiders have been making only minimum payments since at least 2013, and owe an estimated $25,000 more per game since then, which could total more than $800,000.
The team has exercised its option to play in Oakland for the 2017 season while their new stadium is being built in Las Vegas. But under the terms of their agreement, if they’re in default and do not make good on the money they owe, that option can be voided.
In all likelihood, the Raiders will end up spending the 2017 season in Oakland. According to CBS SF, board members expect the issue to be settled.
“I’m blindsided by it, but the last thing I want to do is get in another fight with the Raiders,” board member and county supervisor Scott Haggerty said. “I just want to get through these next two years with the Raiders, and let the fans enjoy a couple more years of football here in Oakland.”
But board chair Larry Reid told CBS SF that he will not exercise the Raiders’ option for the 2018 season if the team doesn’t pay back the money they owe.
“It’s a slap in the face,” he said. “It’s frustrating. We’ve got to make sure that we hold them accountable and that they repay back to the public the money that is owed.”
Last month, NFL owners approved the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas with a nearly unanimous vote. While their stadium gets built, the Raiders are expected to remain in Oakland for the next two seasons.
It gets tricky after that, though. The executive director of the stadium authority, Scott McKibben, told USA Today that he doesn’t want the Coliseum to be the Raiders’ home in 2019, which means the Raiders might be forced to explore other options, like San Antonio.
“I would say to you with the highest level of confidence, my opinion and recommendation, and that of my board members -- I don’t believe there is any appetite for a third season [in Oakland],” McKibben said.
Meanwhile, fans in Oakland are rightfully upset with the team. As of Wednesday, the only thing Oakland-based fans have going for them is the fact that Marshawn Lynch is reportedly set on ending his retirement to play for the Raiders. If he can secure his release from Seattle, he could turn the Raiders’ remaining years in Oakland into a fun goodbye tour.
It just remains to be seen where that tour will take them before they eventually land in Las Vegas.