Davis Death Fuels Speculation Over Possible Raiders Return To Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The passing of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has some wondering if the team will make its way back to Los Angeles.
The Hall of Fame inductee holds the title of the longest-running boss in NFL history. He has coached or owned the Raiders since 1966.
"He brought a lot of life to the team. Oh that's ironic. That's pretty terrible. But yeah, it's really a sad day. God bless him, God rest his soul," said Raiders fan Katie Rotolo reacting to the news of Davis' death Saturday.
The team left Los Angeles in 1995 to move back to Oakland when the relationship between Davis and the city soured over luxury boxes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The coliseum commission promised Davis to build them, but then wouldn't allow it.
Los Angeles Raiders fans say Davis held that bitterness.
"It's LA. It's no matter what 'cause as far as everything go, the Raiders nation is still around all of town as long as I remembered," fan Damon Walker said, adding that fans here never lost hope the team would move back.
"That with the passing of Al, that there may be a different mindset in that organization. And if there is a different mindset, then that brings another player to the table," he said.
Hill thinks the Raiders may now be near the top of the list of the NFL teams hoping to play in the new stadium in Los Angeles.
"I told my girlfriend the other day 'they'll be back' and I think they will," lifelong Raiders fan Antonio Pozo added.
And he's not alone.
CBS2's Edward Lawrence reports that there's a large Raiders base that hopes that if a new stadium is built in LA, the Raiders will be the ones' playing there.
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