Luxury Boxes Held Up; Al Davis Blames NFL

Although the Raiders have moved their training site to Southern California, the luxury boxes Al Davis wants to build in the Coliseum remain on the drawing board.

Davis blames the National Football League.

“The NFL has put every obstacle possible in our way,” Davis said. “It has drained us emotionally and economically. We’ve had a cloud of uncertainty over us ever since we moved to Los Angeles and they’ve kept it there.

“We’re one of only three teams left in professional football that doesn’t have luxury boxes. This has given the Rams and other teams in the league a five-year head start on us in terms of economic growth.

“Everything is ready to go and has been for five years. The money--$12 to $15 million--is in place and we have over 100 commitments from box buyers, plus an agreement with USC (on use of the boxes for Trojan football games).

“Until we get final adjudication, and we expect it shortly, the boxes will have to wait.”

Davis pointed to the 1985 schedule to support his claim that the league is hassling the Raiders. The Rams and Raiders will play home games at the same time on four Sundays this season.

“When we were in Oakland, they’d schedule us and the 49ers opposite each other maybe once, and then they’d at least ask permission to do it,” Davis said.

“We have to go head to head with the Rams for fans, concessions, programs, radio time and we’re at a financial disadvantage because we don’t have the boxes and haven’t had them for five years while the Rams have them.

“Now that we’re in this strong competition with the Rams, we want to establish ourselves not only in the Los Angeles area, but in Long Beach, Anaheim, San Bernardino. We want to make Raider football a way of life, not just an event.”

That’s one reason the Raiders decided to make Oxnard their permanent training site, despite the uncertainty.

“One of the major reasons for our success was the tremendous practice facility we had in Santa Rosa,” Davis said. “And we think we have the same thing in Oxnard. It took a long time to find it, but it’s just what we were looking for.”