NHL suitor Bill Foley would love to share Las Vegas with NFL
The man who is attempting to bring major league professional sports to Las Vegas has no problem sharing the city with the NFL.
Bill Foley, the billionaire businessman who has filed an application for an NHL expansion franchise that would begin play in 2017, said Thursday he would welcome a move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas.
"I'd buy a suite," Foley said.
On Thursday, a group of investors led by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced they are proposing a $1 billion-plus stadium that would seat more than 65,000 and provide a new home for the UNLV football team as well as others major sporting events.
In addition, representatives from the group have arranged a meeting with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis, who is expected to visit Las Vegas on Friday.
Obviously, the NFL would be competition for the sports dollar as well as from corporate sponsors that might consider doing business with a Las Vegas NHL team. But Foley, who has deposits on 14,000 season tickets and a lease to play at T-Mobile Arena, said there's room for the NHL and the NFL.
T-Mobile Arena is the new facility behind New York-New York that will open in April. The proposed stadium would be on land UNLV owns east of the MGM Grand on Tropicana Avenue, about a quarter-mile from the arena.
"To me, the more the merrier," he said. "I think it would be great if the Raiders came to Las Vegas.
"I don't think it hurts what we're trying to do at all. Hockey and football have very different fan bases, and it would be great for Las Vegas to have two pro sports teams. It would prove what a great market it truly is."
The NHL, through deputy commissioner Bill Daly, had no reaction to the news. Daly also said anything the Raiders or the NFL does has no impact on the expansion process and Foley's attempt to bring the NHL to Las Vegas.
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Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
