Oakland Is Suing The Raiders, And The Raiders Might Leave Early Because Of It

The plan was for the Oakland Raiders to relocate to Las Vegas in 2020, but that timeline could be accelerated if Oakland proceeds with a lawsuit against the team.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

"The Oakland City Council has authorized a multimillion-dollar, antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and the Raiders over the team’s impending move to Las Vegas — legal action that Coliseum officials said could result in the team leaving Oakland at the end of the upcoming season."

Oakland is seeking damages for the franchise’s departure, with its attorney expecting something in the realm of $500 million. Meanwhile, Oakland and the Raiders are trying to work out a lease agreement for the time the team has left in Oakland.

The impending lawsuit, naturally, has complicated those negotiations.

"According to Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority Executive Director Scott McKibben, who has been working to finalize the Raiders’ latest lease extension, team executives warned him that they won’t sign any agreement if the lawsuit is filed. “They told me we might as well take the contract and rip it up,” McKibben said Tuesday. The Raiders, who did not return our call seeking comment, are under a year-to-year lease with the Coliseum Authority."

No telling where the Raiders might play in 2019 if it’s not Oakland or Las Vegas, but I’m guessing it won’t come to that.