The Oakland Raiders officially filed the necessary paperwork Thursday for an eventual move to Las Vegas.
Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak announced the development:
It is official! The @RAIDERS have filed their paperwork to relocate to #LasVegas.
— Steve Sisolak (@SteveSisolak) January 19, 2017
With the paperwork in the books, the league will hold a vote in March concerning the move.
The NFL released a statement on the topic, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
NFL statement on Raiders: pic.twitter.com/YwcxHWFoX5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2017
From the sounds of it, the Raiders won’t simply pack their bags and leave overnight. This is a process, with ownership in Oakland wanting to wait on a new stadium in Las Vegas before actually arriving in town.
Interestingly enough, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio detailed why the league is able to look past potential issues with the move and allow it to happen:
But with public money harder and harder to come by and Nevada ready to fork over $750 million toward a new stadium, the league is able to look the other way on its longstanding obligation to gambling, even if there will be gambling every way the Raiders look once they move.
The next two years or so in Oakland should be pretty interesting as the fans come to terms with the fact the team will soon depart.
Nothing is official yet, though most in the know say a vote is only a formality.
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