Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman remains optimistic that the city was a viable destination for the Oakland Raiders, despite billionaire Sheldon Adelson and banking giant Goldman Sachs abruptly backing away from a plan to build a $1.9 billion stadium.
“I believe somebody will call us and offer us a date to the prom and we’ll get there,” Goodman said in a phone interview.
The mayor called the developments involving Adelson and Goldman Sachs on Monday and Tuesday “terribly disappointing.”
“I was always thinking, ‘Oh, my goodness, this could just go away in the flick of an eye,’ ” Goodman said. “Well, that’s where we are.”
Adelson, who had pledged $650 million toward the stadium, ended his relationship with the project Monday with a sternly worded statement. The casino magnate wasn’t pleased that the Raiders submitted a proposed lease to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority without his knowledge. The document included the team paying $1 a year in rent and didn’t mention Adelson.
On Tuesday, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Los Angeles Times that an agreement for Goldman Sachs to finance the stadium was contingent on Adelson’s involvement. Though the Raiders had told the NFL that the bank would finance the project without the billionaire, there wasn’t a separate agreement to do so.
Goldman Sachs told officials at Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. on Tuesday that it wouldn’t finance the stadium without his involvement.
“We made it to the prom, we were invited, we got all dressed up, but we ended up without a date,” Goodman said.
The mayor said she let the Raiders know the city was doing everything in its power to help salvage the deal, which includes $750 million from an increased hotel tax Nevada’s legislature approved last year.
The mayor, who would like a stadium built downtown, said she has received calls from several groups interested in helping finance the project, but it’s too early to evaluate the seriousness of the inquiries.
Goodman believes the timing is right to bring an NFL team to the market.
“If there’s a team out there that wants to relocate and this one doesn’t work out, we’re ready,” Goodman said. “In my opinion, it will happen.”
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