The NFL has prevented the Oakland Raiders from selling Las Vegas apparel until they leave Oakland and make their move to Nevada.
Based on a report by ESPN.com, the NFL said the Raiders won't be allowed to sell apparel with anything "Las Vegas" on it, so as not to alienate Oakland fans who are still rooting for the team.
The Raiders are scheduled to move to their new $1.8 billion stadium in Las Vegas in 2020, so Nevada fans will have to wait for two more years to get their hands on their own merchandise.
However, there's a chance that Las Vegas merchandise could be manufactured early because the Raiders don't have any playing venue after the upcoming season. The Raiders' lease in Oakland is set to expire after the 2018 season, and their plans for 2019 are not yet clearly laid down.
Raiders To Stay In Oakland In 2019 If ...
Raiders owner Mark Davis has insisted that the Raiders will only stay in Oakland through 2019 if fans will support the team. In 2017, the NFL approved the Raiders' move to Las Vegas via a 31-1 vote.
"If the fans would like us to stay there, we'd love to be there for that and possibly talk to them about extending it for maybe 2019 as well and try to bring a championship back to Oakland," Davis says.
Davis could also opt to leave Oakland and share Levi's Stadium with the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders also have the option to move to Las Vegas in 2019, using the UNLV stadium as temporary stadium. As of now, the UNLV stadium is not ready for use, but it could be ready by 2019.
Gruden Won't Take Raiders Money
The Raiders recently lured Jon Gruden out of the broadcast booth to be their head coach. Oakland signed Gruden to a 10-year deal worth $100 million. However, Gruden said he won't take any of the Raiders money if he can't get it done.
"If I can't get it done, I'm not going to take their money," Gruden tells Jarrett Bell of USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, per NFL.com. However, Gruden did not clearly define what he meant.
Gruden was out of the NFL for nine years as he focused on his broadcasting career. With his return, many doubt if he could succeed with the new-school NFL.
Gruden was head coach of the Raiders from 1998 to 2001 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2002, he carried the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl title.
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