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Oakland Works On Lott – Raiders NFL Stadium Term Sheet, Meets With A’s Today

Published

8 years ago

January 6, 2017

Oakland officials have been at work altering and fine-tuning various aspects of the much reported on term sheet between Oakland City Pro Football Group, also called “The Lott Group” on the street, and Fortress Investments and The City of Oakland, The County of Alameda, The Oakland Raiders and the National Football League. Much of the adjustments are with respect to comments made by the NFL’s stadium point person Eric Grumman on the term sheet.

This is not to say that I have specific knowledge of a recent meeting between the Raiders or the NFL’s stadium point person Eric Grubman and Lott, The City of Oakland, The County of Alameda, and the Oakland Raiders, but I can report that meetings on the term sheet have taken place between Lott’s Group and Oakland Officials, and more are scheduled.

Also, Oakland Officials are to meet with the Oakland Athletics officials today and regarding not just efforts to build a new stadium in Oakland, but also melding the A’s into the Ronnie Lott / Raiders stadium effort. This is very important, as Mr. Grubman remarked that one of the issues of concern he had was with what the Oakland A’s were going to do and their support of the Lott plan. Since then, Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval has expressed support; this meeting is to work out details.

And then there’s the Goldman Sachs issue.

I can also report, after talking with a source today, that the City of Oakland and The County of Alameda, which have a ban against doing business with the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, continue to be concerned that Mr. Grubman was not only once a partner in Goldman Sachs, but was enriched by the Goldman Sachs IPO that took place just before the turn of the 20th Century, and that the majority of new NFL stadium financings since 2007 have been done by Goldman Sachs.

The overall picture is a bad one that Oakland officials would like to see straightened out. Goldman Sachs has been heavily involved in the financial planning for the Las Vegas NFL Stadium – is the NFL intent on steering business away from Oakland and to Las Vegas to give Goldman what would be the largest financing fee in sports history due to the $750 million subsidy approved by the Nevada Legislature? Is this right?

Many Las Vegas Residents Say They Can’t Afford Raiders Tickets

As I write this, I’m in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, CES 2017, and for the 8th straight year as a credentialed blogger (subscribe to Zennie62 on YouTube, and follow Zennie62 on Twitter and bookmark Zennie62blog.com). I’ve talked to a lot of Las Vegas residents about the Raiders issue, and several ideas come up consistently: first, they can’t afford to go to the games; second, they’re excited about the possibility but think Oakland’s going to pull out with a win; third, many of them are fans of other NFL teams, but would try and go to at least one of the games if the Raiders were here. I will add that there’s another problem and that’s with hotel price gouging.

The Las Vegas stadium planners insists that tourism will drive NFL ticket sales here. But the problem is one experienced by CES media people for CES 2017: hotels have jacked prices up wildly, and so many have stayed home, period. One PR person, Karen Thomas, wrote on Facebook that “about half” of the media didn’t come this year. Considering that a price for a hotel room that normally goes for about $30 a night was increased to $400 a night, and you see why.

Now, add 60,000 people for an NFL game – that’s basically another convention of about 20,000 to 30,000 who would have to come from out of town. But the hotel price gouging factor has to be taken into calculations, and it has not been at all. If half of the NFL fans who would fly in for a game elect to not come because of hotel prices, that completely wrecks the stadium financing plan. Casinos and hotels may buy up tickets, but if they go unsold, then that effort’s going to stop. And then the financing plan would fail. That’s a very real possibility here that calls the entire approach into question. But , as I say, Las Vegas is not ready to host the Oakland Raiders or any NFL team, yet.

Stay tuned.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

Published

2 days ago

November 22, 2024

Oakland Post

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PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country.

Published

3 days ago

November 21, 2024

Oakland Post

Read the letter here.

Watch the press conference here.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) led 60 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive clemency power in the final months of his presidency to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.

The lawmakers hosted a press conference earlier today to discuss the letter. A full video of their press conference is available here and photos are available here.

“Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “The grant of pardons and commutations and the restoration of rights will undoubtedly send a powerful message across the country in support of fundamental fairness and furthering meaningful criminal justice reform.”

Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country. The extreme use of incarceration has resulted in one in two adults having had an incarcerated family member. People of color are disproportionately put behind bars, along with individuals from low-income communities, LGBTQIA+ folks, and those with disabilities. The bloated prison system reflects and emboldens biases that undermine the ideals of our nation and diminish trust in the rule of law. Mass incarceration attacks the most vulnerable Americans, thereby destabilizing families and inflicting intergenerational trauma.

In their letter to President Biden, the lawmakers praised the President’s efforts to create a fair and just criminal legal system by pardoning people convicted of simple marijuana possession and LGBTQ+ former servicemembers and urged the President to use his clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers. The lawmakers also outlined the fiscal toll of the growing mass incarceration crisis.

“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harms of mass incarceration: young children longing to hug their grandparents, people who have taken responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply were never given a fair chance,” the lawmakers wrote. “These are the people seeking help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power.”

Joining Representatives Clyburn, Pressley, and Scanlon in sending the letter are Representatives Joyce Beatty, Sanford Bishop, Shontel Brown, Cori Bush, André Carson, Troy Carter, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, Al Green, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Gregory Meeks, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Marilyn Strickland, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union; Center for Popular Democracy; Last Prisoner Project; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Death Penalty Action; The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; The Faith Leaders of Color Coalition; Second Chance Justice of MCAN; JustLeadershipUSA; FAMM; The Episcopal Church; The Bambi Fund; Free Billie Allen Campaign; People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom; Prophetic Resistance Boston; and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

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Tennessee State University Set to Debut the First Division I Hockey Team at An HBCU

THE AFRO — “I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Duanté Abercrombie, the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team, in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Published

3 days ago

November 21, 2024

admin

By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com

Tennessee State University (TSU) continues to break ground on a historic journey to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to field a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey team. Alongside some assistance from the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players’ Association and the Nashville Predators, the TSU Tigers have already named their official head coach, unveiled their jersey and received their first official commitment from a student-athlete.

TSU held an official press conference to announce the plan in June 2023. Their first official season as a sanctioned Division I program is planned to commence in 2025-26. On April 18, TSU named Duanté Abercrombie as the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team.

“I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Abercrombie in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Abercrombie was raised in Washington, D.C., and was mentored by hockey legend Neal Henderson, the first Black man to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Abercrombie attended Gonzaga College High School and graduated from Hampton University, where he was a track and field athlete prior to retiring due to an injury. After college, Abercrombie briefly played professional hockey in both the New Zealand Ice Hockey League as well as the Federal Hockey League.

After his career as a professional hockey player, Abercrombie moved onto coaching, including stints with his alma mater Gonzaga and Georgetown Preparatory School. In 2022-23, Abercrombie was a member of the coaching staff for NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

“We are no longer doing club play in 2024-25. We are going right into D1 play for 2025-26,” Nick Guerriero told the AFRO. Guerriero is the assistant athletic director of communications and creative content at Tennessee State.

On Jan. 19, TSU got their first official commitment from an ice hockey recruit, Xavier Abel. Abel played at Drury University and scored 12 goals in 34 games, including three game-winning goals. Abel was recruited by Guerriero.

In July, the Tigers got their second commitment from forward Trey Fechko. In October, Trey’s brother Marcus Fechko also committed to Tennessee State. Since, the Tigers have also signed forward Greye Rampton, goaltender Johnny Hicks, Grady Hoffman and four-star forward Bowden Singleton. Singleton flipped his commitment from North Dakota to Tennessee State. Guerriero said that TSU has a “few” other recruits that they are waiting to announce during their November signing period.

“I think it’s important to invest in these unorthodox sports for Black athletes because it allows Black children to have more opportunities to play sports in general,” said Zion Williams, a 2024 Gettysburg College graduate and former collegiate athlete. “The more opportunities that children have, the better. They won’t feel like they are boxed into one thing or sport.”