Raiders Stadium Board Member Says Nevada Lawmakers Who Voted Against Stadium Subsidy Should Not Attend Nov. 13 Groundbreaking
By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com learned more about the Raiders’ mystery stadium groundbreaking for Nov. 13 when VIP guests received an email this week saying they should go to Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay to pick up their credentials to attend the venue’s groundbreaking at the stadium site on the other side of I-15.
The Raiders themselves have not shared information with the public about the groundbreaking for the $1.8 billion stadium project, which is receiving the biggest NFL stadium public subsidy in history.
Even the Raiders representatives at the “Las Vegas Raiders” tent at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open golf tourney in Summerlin said the only thing they could tell the public is that a groundbreaking in Nov. 13. And the Raiders have not officially invited the public.
The NFL team is inviting only certain select members of the Las Vegas community. Nevada is raising $1.2 billion over 30 years so that the state can give the Raiders a $750 million public stadium subsidy for the team to build the domed, 65,000-seat stadium. It’s supposed to be open in summer 2020. The Raiders PR staff do not return Las Vegas media emails or phone calls, so we rely on County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak to keep us posted.
LVSportsBiz.com also learned that several former Raiders players were upset that they did not get an invite to the groundbreaking, so the team is working on that. And LVSportsBiz.com was told by a source that a congressman in Nevada was even asking for a groundbreaking invite.
And in another groundbreaking twist, a member of the 11-person Las Vegas stadium authority board advised state legislators who voted against the Raiders stadium subsidy during a special session “have no reason to be at the groundbreaking.”
Stadium board member Tommy White, business manager and secretary-treasurer of the 2,600-member Laborers Local 872 union, posted a tweet that said, “If you voted ‘NO’ on the Stadium you have no reason to be at the ground breaking. But if you come we will make sure we take your picture.”
White even tweeted the names of the state lawmakers who voted against the stadium subsidy bill. He wrote, “This is everyone that did NOT SUPPORT JOBS,ECONOMIC GROWTH or The Building of The Raiders Stadium you have a lot of nerve 2 ask for a invite.”
In an interview with LVSportsBiz.com today, White said, “They have pretty big balls to ask for an invite (to the groundbreaking) after they voted against the stadium.”
White also has opposed the Raiders spending any money as part of a required community benefits plan. LVSportsBiz.com wrote this story on the community benefits plan that offers a nice summary of the proposal.
The Raiders stadium VIPs can pick up their credentials at 3 p.m. at Delano Nov. 13 for the groundbreaking later that day. But the actual time of the groundbreaking was unknown as of today. It will be held at the 62-acre site on the west side of Interstate 15 at Russell Road and Polaris Avenue.
The next stadium board meeting is Thursday at 1 p.m. at the county commission chambers.
Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com
