The Raiders football organization is at a crossroads, and one influential radio host is suggesting that the team move from its home in Oakland to California’s capital city, Sacramento.
The chance is overwhelmingly slim, according to the Sacramento Bee, but the radio host making the call has played a part in big moves before. “Carmichael Dave” Weiglein made the assertion on Twitter and his radio program earlier this month.
There you go. Raiders to Sacramento. Republic and Raiders share stadium like the Sounders and Seahawks. Everyone is happy I’m done :)
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) January 11, 2016
Part of the suggestion is that the Raiders could partner with the Republic FC football club for a joint football/soccer stadium. It was suggested that the project could find a home in Sacramento’s railyard.
The Bee reporter asserted that Carmichael Dave once commissioned a coast-to-coast bus tour to prevent the Sacramento Kings from picking up and leaving town.
Discussion between the Raiders and O.co Coliseum to house the team for one more year were planned for Monday. San Diego, Santa Clara, San Antonio and Portland join Sacramento as potential future Raiders homes.
Giving the Rams the green light for L.A., the NFL owners offered the Chargers and Raiders each a $100 million concession to stay in their current home cities.
Dave did suggest that $226 million in private money has already been committed to a Republic FC stadium pending its ascent to Major League Soccer, the report explains. Add that to $600 million between Raiders owner Mark Davis and the NFL, and there would be $826 million to put towards what Dave has suggested could be a 55,000-seat stadium.
Oakland failed to submit a stadium plan when it lobbied the NFL to keep the Raiders at the end of the year.
If the Chargers decline to exercise a one-year option to join the Rams at the approved Inglewood stadium, the Raiders could still have a shot at an L.A. home. However, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti recently told ESPN radio listeners, “I only half-jokingly said that the crime has gone down every single year since the Raiders left L.A. though, so we gotta be careful.”
The Rams and Raiders each left the L.A. market in 1994. The Rams called L.A. home for 49 years before leaving for St. Louis, and now they will return to L.A. The Raiders spent just 14 years in L.A. before leaving. The Chargers have spent all but one of their over 50 years in San Diego. Only their first was spent in L.A.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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