Raiders studying Las Vegas option

Reporting from CHARLOTTE, N.C. â€”  The NFL awarded Super Bowls to Atlanta, South Florida, and Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Raiders, meanwhile, are simply looking for a place to call home.

With little to no progress on a new stadium in Oakland, Raiders owner Mark Davis has turned his full attention to Las Vegas and said he’ll move his team there if that city comes through with the financing help the franchise has been promised.

“I’ve given my commitment to Las Vegas, and if they can come through with what they’re talking about doing, then we’ll go to Las Vegas,� Davis told reporters at the league’s annual May meetings.

That said, the Raiders have hired experts to study the Las Vegas market to make sure the fan base is strong enough there to justify a move.

“We’re not looking to make this something where the fans are going to fly in every week for the games,� he said. “I know that can happen for the first year or so, people would be excited about it. But to fly down for 10 games a year might not be a thing that would happen for a lot of people. We want to have a local fan base.�

As for what type of feedback he’s gotten from his fellow NFL owners, Davis said: “I haven’t heard no.�

The Raiders have a one-year lease at the O.co Coliseum, plus two one-year options. If the San Diego Chargers decide not to exercise their option to join the Rams in L.A., that one-year option rolls over to the Raiders.

But Davis said L.A. “doesn’t have anything to do with my train of thought right now.�

CTE report

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s commitment to medical research. He also took issue with a congressional report released Monday that suggested the NFL has tried to influence a National Institutes of Health study about detecting chronic traumatic encephalopathy in living brains.

“It is normal practice to have discussions back and forth with the NIH,� Goodell said, adding, “It is very important to continue to have that kind of dialogue through appropriate channels, which our advisors have. That’s a standard practice. We have our commitment of $30 million to the NIH. We’re not pulling that back one bit.�

Replay tweak

Owners voted to make minor adjustments to the replay system, in part opening the door for league headquarters to have more of a say in on-field decisions.

According to the new rules, the replay official and designated members of the officiating department at league headquarters “may consult with the on-field officials to provide information on the correct application of playing rules, including appropriate assessment of penalty yardage, proper down, and status of the game clock.�

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