NFL approves Raiders move to Las Vegas

NFL owners approved the Oakland Raiders move to Las Vegas on Monday, in a decisive 31-1 vote held at the league’s annual spring meeting in Phoenix.

Prior to the vote, the Raiders and its owner Mark Davis felt they had the necessary 24 of 32 owners’ votes to relocate to Vegas in 2020, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday night that Monday was “going to be an exciting day.”

The facility, which the Raiders would share with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, would be located west of Interstate 15 and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on a 62-acre plot on Russell Rd.

After a letter she wrote to commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday was largely rejected by the NFL - Goodell called the last-minute financing plan from Fortress Investment Group not a viable solution’ - Schaaf sent more letters on Monday morning.

Schaaf asked NFL owners to delay voting on a proposed move by the Raiders to Las Vegas so that the city could continue negotiating with others who want to build a stadium on the current Coliseum site.

The NFL owners weren’t enthusiastic about Adelson’s gambling ties, but that issue was resolved when Davis and Adelson had a falling out and Bank of America ultimately stepped up to finance the deal and replace the $650 million that Adelson had pledged.

The Raiders would become the third NFL team in the last year to move, after the Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles last year and the Chargers from San Diego to Los Angeles earlier this year.

Davis and his Raiders franchise were passed over last year when the owners approved the Rams' relocation and the Chargers exercised their option to join them.

The Raiders have an option to purchase the Russell Rd. land in Las Vegas and plan to do so once the NFL owners’ vote goes through in Phoenix.

Schaaf told Goodell on Friday that the Fortress Group — a San Francisco money management firm with more than $69 billion in assets — is offering a $600 million loan as part of a $1.3 billion plan to help build a stadium at the current location in Oakland.