Daily Madden: Raiders Future More Likely In LA Than Oakland
OAKLAND (KCBS) - Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis is expressing frustration about the prospects for a new stadium in Oakland.
"I don't want to call it a last-ditch effort, but it does seem to be the last chance that Oakland is going to get," Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle this week, referring to a planned partnership with developers Colony Capital LLC, who have been working on a plan to redevelop the Coliseum area since last year. Davis says the promise of those plans has dimmed since October.
"No one would argue that they don't need a stadium," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. "They're the only ones that still play on a baseball diamond and you have to change the configuration and all that stuff. And it's old. So they have to be on that list to get a new stadium. And that's the easy part, identifying what you need. The tough part is now how do you get it... You start off with a figure of a billion dollars. Now where do you get that billion dollars?"
The Raiders are committed to one more year at the Coliseum.
"The Warriors are talking about moving over to San Francisco and the A's are talking about moving down to San Jose," Madden said. "The Raiders are trying to stay there, but they've been trying to stay there for a long time, and nothing is getting done."
Making it clear he has no inside knowledge, John said he thinks it's more likely the Raiders would eventually end up in Los Angeles, which has no NFL team.
"Someday they're going to get a stadium built (in Los Angeles), and I think they have a better chance," Madden said. "I really think if and when they do, I think there will not only be one team down there but two teams down there... two teams playing in one stadium. And I think the prototype for that is the Jets and the Giants. I think you have to start out together. If one builds it and the other one comes in later, all they are is a tenant and that doesn't work." (7:45)
Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.