Mark Davis says Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium is ‘absolutely magnificent’

Owner Mark Davis, the face of the Raiders, is in awe over how the Silver and Black’s “field of dreams” has turned out.

Having watched the stadium develop from the initial renderings to the glistening, $2 billion state-of-the-art facility across Interstate 15 from the Las Vegas Strip, Davis is excited the team has a building befitting its legacy.

Although fans won’t be allowed in Allegiant Stadium because of the coronavirus pandemic during the 2020 NFL season, Davis says that since they’ve waited this long for a new stadium, what’s one more year?

The Review-Journal spoke with Davis about the new stadium — first proposed to be built in the Los Angeles area — and the impact the coronavirus is having on team plans.

This Q&A has been edited for length.

Review-Journal: After years of work and traveling back and forth between Las Vegas and Oakland, what does it mean to you to finally see the stadium reach the substantial completion date (July 31)?

Mark Davis: It’s unbelievable how fast this thing has come together. … We still have to finish the job; you know there’s a punch list of items that need to get done and will get done (project closeout date is Nov. 30). We’re really excited; it’s a milestone, but there’s some work to do.

I’m sure you’ve been inside the stadium a lot; what are your thoughts on how it turned out?

I take my midnight walks over there and was just in the building at the 50-yard line just looking around. There’s a lot of diamonds in the rough there. It’s absolutely magnificent.

You’ve been involved in the relocation process the entire way, from the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee meetings to the special session of the Legislature, to the signing of Senate Bill 1 and through the NFL seasons. How has the whole process been for you?

It’s been tremendous. I don’t know that there’s been roadblocks. There’s been maybe some detours. I don’t consider them roadblocks, except all of our dreams were coming true and then real life stepped in the way, saying “Hey, wait a minute.” The virus has been a challenge for everybody involved around the world. … Being a Raider, we’re used to that. We’re going to make the best of where we are right now.

What were the reasons you decided not to allow fans in Allegiant Stadium for Raiders games this season?

I feel that when the NFL voted to block off the first eight rows in all stadiums, that turned out to be 8,000 seats for us and … I thought that was not the right way to go. It put me in a position to determine if 8,000 people can’t go to that inaugural game, then who does get to go? For me, I didn’t think it was fair or equitable to tell 57,000 people you can go, but you 8,000 people, you can’t go. I had to make a decision. … I don’t believe we can safely put fans in the stands. .. That means I won’t be attending the games this season either.

One of the shining elements inside the stadium is the Al Davis Memorial Torch. What does that feature mean to you and your father’s legacy?

That torch was the impetus for the design of the stadium. When we started designing it for Los Angeles in Carson, we patterned it after the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a U-shape with a peristyle end. The design here with the roof and the glass walls and the torch, I couldn’t be prouder. Every time I talk about it, it tends to bring tears to my eyes, thinking about how we actually accomplished something that my dad and the Raiders have been trying to do for so many years.

I think the torch is going to be a centerpiece. I think people from all over the world are going to be recognizing that torch as the symbol of what the Raiders stand for.

The torch obviously stands out. Is there anything inside the stadium that people might overlook when they first go in?

We’ve got a lot of things up our sleeves — things we’ve thought about for years and are implementing in this stadium. The grass field is something to be marveled at. I give a lot of credit to Michael Bidwill and the (Arizona) Cardinals for actually having the guts to try and do that. But to play on grass is such an important factor for me and the safety of the players. For us to be able to do that is unbelievable.

It is a football stadium; it’s going to be used for football first. It’s going to be used for concerts and everything else, but it was made for a football-viewing fan base. It’s going to be one of the greatest home-field advantages ever.

Various players and Raiders alum have been pictured getting a sneak peek at the stadium recently. What has been the reaction from some of those guys, who may have been to the stadiums in Oakland and Los Angeles?

They’re speechless. Now listen, we played in the L.A. Coliseum. That was a great place to play. It was old and decrepit, but it had history to it. When we played there, it was right before the Olympics, and it was pretty good. But this is unbelievable.

It’s just been interesting to watch this from day one, from the groundbreaking to where it is today. It blows my mind that it was actually able to be done. From drawings and concepts to actually looking at it live. It is so big. When you look at T-Mobile (Arena) next to it, it just dwarfs it. It definitely makes you realize how big this thing is.

Does not having any fans this year put any damper on the completion of the stadium for you at all?

I look at it as a transition from Oakland to Las Vegas. We’re here for the next 30, 40 or 50 years. So if we have to take a little bit of time (to open it to fans), that’s OK.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.