Yes, the Raiders have a bye week. But they haven’t been forgotten, thanks to some developments this week regarding their effort to build a new stadium.
That new stadium could be built in Oakland, as part of the so-called “Coliseum City.” On Tuesday, Oakland City Council voted to approve the addition of multiple potential investors. On Wednesday, owner Mark Davis expressed optimism about the project.
“I want to see what happens from here, but maybe it’s a ray of hope and sunshine,” Davis told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. “That was a positive step last night.”
Davis downplayed his recent decision to tour a possible stadium site in Concord, California.
“I looked at it,” Davis said. “It’s there. It’s a possibility. But I absolutely love the site we’re on now.
“If in fact we get something done in the Bay Area, I think it’s going to be on that [Coliseum] site. That’s what I’m pushing for.”
If Coliseum City doesn’t work -- and it’s way too early to know whether it will -- the only alternative could be relocation.
“Concord was a suggestion by somebody, that I should take a look, so I took a look at it,” Davis said. “It wasn’t a leverage thing -- [I] don’t do that kind of stuff. It was to gather information. . . . We’ve got to get something done, we really do. And we will.”
They need to. The current stadium is outdated, it’s shared with the A’s, and it has a recurring sewage problem.
Other than that, it’s perfect.