Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said he hasn’t spoken with former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo about joining his team as a part owner.
Responding to a rumor that came out Sunday morning asserting DeBartolo is interested in an ownership stake, Davis simply said “It’s not true,” before Sunday’s game, per Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News.
Oakland is attempting to move down south to the Los Angeles area and is specifically targeting the Carson stadium project. In Jason La Canfora’s report Sunday morning which connected DeBartolo to Davis, he noted how having a heavy hitter like the former 49ers owner on board would certainly help the Raiders land the gig.
Oakland is competing with the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers to land the gig. Reports have indicated the Rams and Chargers are favorites and that the two franchises could potentially share the venue like the two New York teams do at MetLife Stadium.
It will be interesting to see who Davis does end up bringing on board to help boost his team’s stock in this race. If not DeBartolo, then who else can bring that kind of clout? Oakland is behind and needs to make a play that will cause the other owners to take notice in a positive way. The franchise is already ascending after a decade of incompetence, and a new venue in a market that already loves the Raiders would be a tremendous boon for the team’s bottom line.