Such language is now in the Oakland mayor’s possession.
Goodell reportedly sent a letter Friday to Mayor Libby Schaaf, a transmission Schaaf received after having sent the NFL her own letter in which she characterized the latest effort to keep the Raiders in Oakland as a “viable and responsible proposal.” Clearly, Goodell did not agree.
“Despite all of these efforts, ours and yours, we have not yet
identified a viable solution,” Goodell said in the letter, which the East Bay Times reportedly obtained Saturday. “It is disappointing to me and our clubs to have come to that conclusion.”Oakland and its partners submitted Friday a revised $1.3 billion development proposal that Goodell wrote is not “clear and specific, actionable in a reasonable time frame, and free of major contingencies,” according to East Bay Times.
A vote that could relocate the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas is expected as early as Monday at the NFL’s annual spring meeting in Phoenix. Twenty-four of the league’s 32 owners must vote in favor of the relocation for it to be approved.
It’d be the latest relocation for the league. On Jan. 12, the Chargers moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. The Rams moved from St. Louis to L.A. last year.
Goodell’s full letter has not been published in its entirety at this time, but its largest excerpt reads as follows, per the East Bay Times:
“We have been prepared for nearly two years to work on finding a solution based on access to land at a certain cost, without constraints on the location of the stadium or timing of construction, and clarity on the overall development,” Goodell wrote.
“However, at this date, there remains no certainty regarding how the site will be fully developed, or the specific and contractually-defined nature of the participation by Fortress or other parties. In addition, the long-term nature of the commitment to the A’s remains a significant complication and the resolution of that issue remains unknown.”
Source: PFT.com
Author: Michael Gehlken
Photo: Star Ledger, US Presswire
