The votes are in, and the Oakland Raiders move to Las Vegas has been approved.
The proposal to relocate received more than the required three-quarters, or 24 votes, from ownership. The vote was 31-1.
Steelers President Art Rooney II, the Chairman of the NFL's Stadium Committee, spoke during a press conference at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix, Arizona about the move. Rooney, along with others on the Stadium Committee, worked for months on the relocation project for viable options.
"These are difficult decisions," said Rooney. "I think anyone who has visited Oakland and played a game there in the last several years understands the situation there was difficult at best. We needed a solution. I think we did wait a considerable amount of time to see if a plan could be developed to keep the team in Oakland. We appreciate Mayor (Libby) Schaaf's efforts to try and put something on the table. My own personal opinion is that the presence of the baseball team on that site was a complication that they couldn't find a way to work around.
"We are here today with a situation where I think the future of the Raiders can be much more solid playing in a first class stadium. We are happy the Raiders are going to have a home for the long term and appreciate the efforts from Las Vegas and Nevada for helping make that happen."
The Raiders will play the 2017 season in Oakland, with a timetable on the move not confirmed.
The Raiders entered the NFL in 1960, beginning play in Oakland that season through the 1981 season. In 1982 the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, a place they called home through the 1994 season. The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995, and have played there ever since.
