Las Vegas Raiders

Ronnie Lott leads investment group that's trying to keep the Raiders in Oakland

Published May. 23, 2016 4:51 p.m. ET

foxsports

Ronnie Lott made his mark on the field with the San Francisco 49ers, but now the Hall of Famer is hoping to leave a lasting impact on the Oakland Raiders.

Lott, who helped the 49ers win four Super Bowls before playing for the Raiders, is leading a team of investors that include former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete to keep the Raiders in Oakland. The group is hoping to get a deal done for a new stadium to replace the Oakland Coliseum. Raiders owner Mark Davis has said he wants to move the franchise to Las Vegas if the city approves funding for a new stadium project.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday that she spoke with Lott and Peete months ago, but would not meet with them again until they had the Raiders and the NFL on board with the plan.

"I think it would be great to have them involved," Schaaf told the paper, "but I've got to be very respectful of what I've heard very clearly from the NFL, that this needs to be a team-centric development."

Schaaf, who has refused to use public money to fund a new stadium, said the city is having discussions with the Raiders top stadium official Larry McNeil.

Stadium consultant Marc Ganis, who helped return to Raiders to Oakland 21 years ago, believes the Bay Area is better for the NFL, but if the city can't approve funding for a new stadium, the Raiders could soon be moving.

"Las Vegas does bring in a lot of visitors, but it won't increase television revenue and it won't create a scenario where there is a big upside for t league," Ganis said. "Frankly the Bay Area is a much stronger market; it's not even close. But if the political leadership in Oakland can't come together, that's the way it goes sometimes."