Oakland Raiders Exploring Move to San Antonio?

Rumors surround the Oakland Raiders franchise and an ambiguous visit to San Antonio.

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Al Davis wasn't afraid to move his franchise and it looks like his son isn't either. That's according to reports that Mark Davis ventured to Texas to explore San Antonio's Alamo Dome as a possible temporary home until the Raiders are able to build a more permanent stadium in the Lone Star State. The dome has recently been used to stage NFL games after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans leaving the Saints without a place to play during the 2005 campaign. They hosted three contests in San Antonio, with team owner Tom Benson talking to leaders of the city about a permanent move, before being told that'd make him look like a supervillain and agreeing to come back to the Bayou.

Now it could be Mark Davis's turn to leave  the city his franchise is entrenched in to head southeast to San Antonio after disputes (for years) with Alameda County over the Oakland Coliseum, which is one of the last pro facilities used as a duel baseball/football field. While the Oakland A's have a pending 10-year lease agreement (that would make it impossible to tear the stadium down) the Raiders have been operating on an annual one-year agreement. This means that the Raiders could be vacating California by the start of next season. If that fan who pissed on Art Modell's grave has taught us anything about life (which he definitely has) that may make Davis public enemy No. 1 in Oakland for decades to come.

Of course, this all could just be a bluff to extort leverage the city of Oakland to pony up tax dollars to keep their franchise. If that's not a pro sports tradition, we don't know what is.

[via Pro Football Talk]

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