Las Vegas Stadium Authority Consultant: Raiders-UNLV Stadium Use Deal Does Not Require Raiders To Have Allegiant Stadium Available For Rebels Home Games On Sept. 5 and 12

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

The Raiders-UNLV joint-use stadium agreement does not require the Raiders to have their new Allegiant Stadium available for two UNLV football games on Sept. 5 and 12 in 2020, the stadium authority’s consultant said Thursday morning.

UNLV is scheduled to play Louisiana Tech on Sept. 5 and Arizona State on Sept. 12 as home games in Las Vegas. But those two games might have to be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in nine months because the stadium use deal between the Raiders and UNLV does not obligate the Raiders — which operate Allegiant Stadium — to have the new venue available for those two particular games, said Jeremy Aguero, the Las Vegas lawyer who is guiding the public stadium authority board on the stadium process.

On Nov. 23, UNLV said goodbye to Sam Boyd Stadium when the Rebels defeated San Jose State, 38-35,  in what the university said was UNLV’s final game there after 49 years.

In addition, UNLV has been publicizing 2020 football season ticket deals for new Allegiant Stadium and there’s no mention the Sept. 5 and/or 12 games might be played at Sam Boyd Stadium. This is from the UNLV tickets site.

The UNLV vs. California football game is Aug. 29 at Allegiant Stadium and there is no issue there.

But the Raiders are considering keeping early September open for potential big events to help celebrate the opening of the $2 billion stadium project. The NFL team says the 65,000-seat domed stadium is on schedule to be completed July 31, 2020. The Raiders are scheduled to play their first regular-season game at Allegiant Stadium after UNLV plays its third home game Sept. 12.

For now, both UNLV and the Raiders are discussing whether the Sept. 5 and 12 Rebels football games will be played at the NFL team’s new stadium. So, nothing has been decided.

Aguero described the talks between both sides as a “collaborative effort” being done in “good faith.” He said he would not describe the UNLV football schedule issue between UNLV and the Raiders as a “dispute.”

When the Raiders-UNLV joint-use stadium agreement was approved more than 18 months ago, the Raiders were aware of the three scheduled non-conference games on Aug. 29, Sept. 5 and Sept. 12, he confirmed. But at the time, there was an understanding the Raiders could not lock in the Sept. 5 and 12 dates and that UNLV was aware that it might have to stage those two September games at Sam Boyd Stadium, Aguero confirmed.

UNLV Athletics Department spokesman Andy Grossman issued this statement Thursday, “It was our intention and continues to be, that our game at Sam Boyd Stadium on Nov. 23 was our last at the facility. There are a lot of details that we are still working through with the Raiders.

Aguero pointed out the Raiders are required by their lease with the stadium authority board to “maximize the use of the stadium.” And he mentioned the stadium authority board is required to vote on the UNLV schedule of games at Allegiant Stadium, and could deal with the scheduled Sept. 5 and 12 UNLV games at that vote.

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