Leaving Alameda?
Given move to Las Vegas and COVID-19, facility’s time could be over
Have the Raiders closed up shop in Alameda for good?
Their facility at 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda, adjacent to the Oakland International Airport, has been closed since March 24 by NFL decree with minimal activity other than players rehabbing injuries with the training staff, security, and IT personnel.
The Raiders learned Monday what had been expected within the last week — the NFL Draft April 23-25 will be done remotely. Coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock will run the draft from their respective homes, and all input from coaches and the personnel department will be done with technology rather than in person.
Teams had hoped for a setup where the coach, G.M., and select personnel and coaches could be in one place, either at the team facility or elsewhere, but the NFL decided otherwise.
In a letter to all NFL teams, commissioner Roger Goodell said teams were “well advanced in preparing for a virtual draft” in lieu of the original plan to have a three-day event in Las Vegas.
The Raiders had already gone through the process of removing “Oakland” signage at their facility, which has been their home since 1996 after spending the 1995 season in El
Segundo and commuting from Southern California for games.
The plan originally was for the Raiders to hold the draft, their off-season program, organized team activities, and voluntary minicamps in Alameda as they await completion of their practice facility in Henderson, Nevada.
The Raiders had tentatively planned to hold their June mandatory minicamp in Nevada if their facility was completed on time. Construction on both Allegiant Stadium and their practice facility has been deemed essential and allowed to continue even as the Las Vegas strip has been shut down indefinitely.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday it’s possible NFL home games won’t be played in the state in September, so it’s conceivable their Alameda practice facility won’t be open for team participation either through June.
The pandemic also puts in jeopardy the Raiders’ training camp in Napa, which was to be the last stop before relocating to Las Vegas to prepare for the 2020 season.
The Napa Valley Marriott and adjoining Redwood Middle School has been the Raiders training
camp home since 1996. The Raiders have made no plans for 2021. Owner Mark Davis said he was open to the idea of keeping the camp in Napa but has also done everything he can to embrace Nevada as the Raiders’ home state and the Raiders could opt to train at their facility or a remote site in future years.
With Gruden, Mayock, and the coaching staff in the process of relocation, it’s unclear which homes the coach and general manager will utilize to conduct the draft.
In the meantime, the Raiders IT team will be working overtime to make sure the team can conduct business on a remote basis as it relates to the draft, including contact with prospective players and opposing teams for possible trades.
The Raiders are scheduled for seven selections in the draft, including two in the first round (Nos. 12 and 19) three in the third round (Nos. 80, 81 and 91) and single selections in the fourth (No. 121) and fifth (No. 159) round.
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