Ronnie Lott is primarily known for his hard-hitting days as a safety for the San Francisco 49ers. Rodney Peete is primarily known for his gunslinging days as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. But they may come to also be known as the men who helped keep the Raiders (a team they both briefly played for late in their respective careers) in Oakland.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Lott and Peete are leading a group of primarily African American investors in a bid to help the Raiders build a new stadium in Oakland. Along with Lott and Peete, Egbert Perry (chairman of the board of Fannie Mae), Seth Hamalian (founder of the Mission Bay Development Group), and sports agent Bill Duffy are involved in the bid, which is backed by a hedge fund.
The Chronicle report did not specify the amount of the group's potential bid, but did state that the members would likely insist on a minority stake in the Raiders, in addition to the right to develop the 120-acre plot of land on which the Oakland Coliseum currently sits.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf met with the group previously, but told the Chronicle that the city would have to be brought development plans directly from the team in order to move forward with any proposal.
"I will not meet with any developer for this project unless they are brought to me by the Raiders, and I have asked the City Council to do the same," she said.
Raiders owner Mark Davis attempted to move the team to Los Angeles earlier this offseason. The Raiders submitted a proposal with the San Diego Chargers for a shared stadium in Carson, Calif. The proposal was ultimately rejected, as the owners opted to go with a proposal from the Rams to move their team to a stadium in Inglewood, Calif., instead.
Rumors have persisted in recent weeks that Davis will move the team to Las Vegas if he can get a stadium approved. However, the Chronicle's report stated that Davis would prefer to keep the team in Oakland, but does not have a viable plan there.
One source told the Chronicle, "If there is no deal by September (to keep the Raiders in Oakland), there will probably be a deal with the NFL to allow the team to relocate to Las Vegas."
It remains to be seen if this reported Lott/Peete proposal will be able to keep the Raiders in town.
