Raiders to Stay in L.A. : Team Signs Long-Term Agreement

The Raiders agreed today to remain in Los Angeles, ending three years of intense efforts by a number of California cities to lure the professional football team, City Hall officials announced.

The officials said a contract was signed between the Raiders and the Los Angeles Coliseum’s private managers, Spectacor Management Group, shortly after 8 a.m. today, after negotiations that went late into Monday night.

“This is a reason for all football fans and admirers of the Coliseum to celebrate,” Mayor Tom Bradley said in a statement released at City Hall. The mayor is in London on a trade mission.

Team owner Al Davis’ decision to stay in the city came after often-extravagant bidding for the team--one of the most successful in the history of professional sports--by Irwindale, Oakland and Sacramento. Even as the decision was made, a $127-million offer from the city of Oakland was on Davis’ desk.

The football team still could be lost to Los Angeles, however, if the Coliseum’s private managers are unable to come up with an environmental impact report allowing a $145-million renovation of the Coliseum, along with private financing to pay for it.

The renovation must be completed within two years.

Although the actual agreement was signed between private parties, Bradley and Coliseum Commissioner Bill Robertson, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, were important participants in the discussions and put pressure on both sides to come to an agreement.

Final details of the deal between Spectacor and the Raiders were to be disclosed at a news conference this afternoon. But one of the negotiators said there had been no major changes from last week, when Spectacor made what was described as a “final offer” to the Raiders.

The offer called for the team to sign a 20-year lease in exchange for the Coliseum renovation, as well as $10 million in advance cash payments by the private managers and forgiveness of $10 million the team owed the Coliseum Commission from the 1980s.

Reconstruction of the 67-year-old Coliseum is to be accomplished in such a way as to allow retention of the historic existing exterior walls. But the interior of the stadium will be drastically altered.

After construction of up to 225 luxury boxes at mid-level of the stadium and placement of 15,000 club seats, the capacity of the new stadium will be 70,000 for Raiders games and 85,000 for USC, down from the 92,500 seats in the existing stadium.

Preparation of an environmental impact report, expected to take up to a year, will be followed by the beginning of reconstruction immediately after the 1991 Raiders and USC seasons, according to the agreement reached today. Marketing of the luxury boxes, on a long-term, lease-licensing arrangement, is to begin even before then.

During the 1992 season, both the Raiders and USC will have to find alternate playing sites.

There have been reports the Raiders may seek an agreement to play in Dodger Stadium, while USC may try for Anaheim Stadium.