RAIDERS CAMP WON’T BE IN NAPA
The Raiders will not be holding their training camp in Napa this summer due to the COVID19 pandemic.
According to multiple reports, the NFL informed teams on Tuesday that they must hold training camps at their team facilities this summer. That means the Las Vegas Raiders, as they officially became known in January, will be holding their camp in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Vegas, where their new team training facilities are being built.
While construction is ongoing, the team “fully expects” the stadium to open in time, barring any delays, for their preseason home opener on Aug. 27, according to a report on ESPN.com.
Likewise, the training facility in Henderson is also still under construction but the
Raiders can begin moving in because they have their “certificate of occupancy” for the building, according to the ESPN.com
report.
In-person workouts at team facilities were canceled by the league in March at the onset of the pandemic. Only in the past weeks have teams begun the process of reopening, albeit on a limited basis.
Currently, only players undergoing medical treatments and rehab have been allowed to return to those facilities.
According to reports, the league is hopeful complexes can fully open soon but will need to follow strict medical guidelines including social distancing protocols.
The Raiders have held their preseason training camp in Napa since they returned to Oakland in 1995. This summer would have been the 25th year of the Raiders training in the wine country.
Though the 2020-2021 season was to be their first playing in Las Vegas, the Raiders had still
planned on holding their training camp at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa this summer. It’s currently unclear if they will return next year.
A request for comment was not immediately returned by the Napa Marriott or the Raiders on Tuesday afternoon.
The team is currently working out of its complex in Alameda.