NFL’s Roger Goodell says ‘a lot has to happen’ for Raiders to move to Las Vegas

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures during a news conference at the NFL owners meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. (Luis M. Alvarez/AP)

Roger Goodell spent Sunday night in Minnesota to help celebrate the grand opening of the Vikings’ stadium, but the NFL commissioner indicated he’s not prepared to plan a similar party in Las Vegas.

Goodell pumped the brakes on the Raiders’ anticipated attempt to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas, three days after the 11-member Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously to recommend a financing proposal for a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat stadium.

In comments reported by The Associated Press, Goodell addressed the potential of approving Las Vegas as an NFL city, saying, “There’s still a lot that has to happen before we would get to that stage. Recognizing that they came out of committee with a bill, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to improve that recommendation.

“Well, you never want to see a community lose their franchise once, much less twice. The Minnesota community did that in a great way. I think we can do it in Oakland. I think there’s a solution there, but it takes the community to help identify it.”

The SNTIC’s recommendation will be forwarded to Carson City and Gov. Brian Sandoval, who could elect to call a special session of the Nevada Legislature to vote on the stadium financing plan.

According to terms of the deal, there will be a $750 million public investment in the form of a Clark County hotel room tax in addition to contributions of at least $650 million from the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson and $500 million from the Raiders.

If the stadium plan passes in the Legislature, the final hurdle would be a vote by NFL owners that likely would come in January. Votes of approval for relocation are required from 24 of 32 owners.

Raiders owner Mark Davis did not return a phone message Sunday. When recently asked about his plans for relocation, Davis said, “If Las Vegas comes through with what we’ve been talking about, I’m going to fight like hell to be there.”

U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is a $1.1 billion facility that included more than $450 million in public financing. Davis has tried unsuccessfully for several years to get a new stadium deal in Oakland.

Goodell has expressed concerns about Las Vegas and its casino and sports betting environment, but some powerful NFL owners — led by Dallas’ Jerry Jones, Los Angeles’ Stan Kroenke and New England’s Robert Kraft — have made public comments in support of Las Vegas joining the NFL.

“I just think the obvious that Las Vegas is a very attractive place,” Jones told the Review-Journal in May. “It’s a great entertainment environment, and I think that far overshadows any issue to do with gambling. We had discussions about Vegas. We had no pushback in any kinds of discussions.”

Kroenke told the Review-Journal that he and most other owners sensed “more comfort, more clarity” with the issue of legalized sports betting, and added, “I feel like Las Vegas has matured and grown a lot. I feel like Mark Davis is doing a good job of looking at his alternatives, which you have to do if you can’t get things worked out in your home market. I think Mark’s doing it the right way.”

The comments by Jones and Kroenke were made at the NFL Spring Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. At that time, Goodell dismissed a question about the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas as “premature” and “pure speculation.”

But with a formal stadium financing recommendation headed to Nevada lawmakers, the situation has turned from speculation to something deserving serious consideration.

Jones was a force in a three-way fight in January to help Kroenke relocate the Rams — the San Diego Chargers and Raiders lost their bids to become the first team back in Los Angeles — and he told the Los Angeles Times he expects enough owners would approve the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas.

“You’ll have certain individual owners with thoughts, but you won’t see people clumping together to try to stop it — not with Las Vegas in the Raiders’ case,” Jones said. “As far as I’m concerned, the Raiders are the one and only team to go (to Las Vegas). If it’s going to work, I think it’s the Raiders.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow @mattyoumans247 on Twitter.