A’s stadium deal wins final legislative approval
CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Oakland Athletics cleared a major hurdle for their planned relocation to Las Vegas after the Nevada Legislature gave final approval on Wednesday to public funding for a portion of a proposed $1.5 billion stadium with a retractable roof.
The deal that backers said will continue to help establish Las Vegas as the “entertainment and sports capital of the world” still needs the governor’s signature, and MLB still must approve the A’s move to the Las Vegas Strip, but both are anticipated.
The Assembly approved the final version of the bill with $380 million in taxpayer money on a 25-15 vote after making minor changes to the measure the Senate approved on a 13-8 vote Tuesday just hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.
The Senate accepted the changes with no debate on a voice vote Wednesday night and sent it to the governor’s desk as an “emergency measure” adopted during the special legislative session that convened with Democratic majorities in both houses June 7. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had proposed the stadium spending plan.
The $380 million in public funding would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium – that would be the smallest in Major League Baseball – would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.
The Nevada plan had revived the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the measure could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic engine. But a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits when compared to the hefty public price tag.
Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch, D-Reno, said Wednesday night she couldn’t support the public financing given a lack of funding for Nevada’s overcrowded classrooms, inadequate child care services and “people sleeping on the streets.”
“No amount of amendments are going to change the fact we are giving millions of public dollars to a billionaire,” she said.
Under the deal approved Wednesday, the A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs. The final version of the bill shifted some money that had been targeted for homeless programs to funds for low-income housing.
The Legislature’s vote is a victory in the A’s troubled search to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team previously sought to build a stadium in Fremont, California, as well as San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront – all ideas that never materialized.
“We thank the members of the Nevada State Legislature and their staff for their hard work, due diligence, and attention to detail as we work to bring the Athletics to Las Vegas,” the A’s said in a statement. “We are especially grateful for the legislators’ time and dedication to shepherding this bill through the process, including the special session. We look forward to Governor Lombardo’s signature as our next step.”
The new 30,000-seat baseball stadium is planned along the Las Vegas Strip not far from the Knights’ T-Mobile Arena and another stadium that’s home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
A last-minute bill in Nevada’s 2016 special session paved the way for $750 million in public funding from hotel room taxes for the Raiders $2 billion Allegiant Stadium.
No public money was spent on the arena for the expansion hockey team.
In places like Buffalo and Oakland, proponents of new stadiums have argued tax incentives prevent the departure of decades-old businesses. But the debate in Nevada differed. The state already heavily relies on entertainment and tourism to power its economy, and lawmakers or appointed boards for years have talked about diversifying the economy to justify incentives to businesses including Tesla.
Assemblywoman Shea Backus, D-Las Vegas, said Wednesday night the amount of public money for the baseball stadium is less than what was spent on the Raiders’ stadium, which she said has exceeded expectations in terms of increased tourism dollars.
In addition to creating 14,000 construction jobs and permanent jobs at prevailing wages subject to collective bargaining, she said the presence of major league baseball in Las Vegas will build on the excitement surrounding the Raiders, the Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces in a city that had no major professional sports before 2016.
“With the Aces winning a national championship last year and the Golden Knights securing the Stanley Cup just last night, it is clear Las Vegas is clearly becoming the entertainment and sports capital of the world,” she said.
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Dan Wetzel
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Dan Wetzel
ESPN
- Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
The University of Michigan has commissioned a full investigation into the practices and culture of its athletic department, centering on how numerous scandals have both occurred and been handled in recent years, a source told ESPN.
The firing of football coach Sherrone Moore this week will be a particular focus.
The investigation will be handled by Jenner & Block, a Chicago-based law firm that has done business with the school in recent years, including conducting the investigation into whether Moore had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The Detroit News first reported the authorization of the investigation.
The firm opened an inquiry earlier this fall about the conduct of Moore and a staff member after the university received an anonymous tip, multiple sources told ESPN. Both Moore and the staff member denied the relationship and not enough evidence emerged to confirm it.
That changed Wednesday when, according to prosecutors in Washtenaw County, Michigan, the staff member told investigators it did occur and presented corroborating evidence. The staff member had, on Monday, broken off the multiyear relationship, according to prosecutors, but became concerned when Moore sent a flurry of texts and calls that were unreturned.
The university promptly fired Moore on Wednesday for the relationship. Soon after, Moore went to the staff member’s apartment just outside Ann Arbor and, according to prosecutors, barged in, grabbed kitchen scissors and some butter knives. He then threatened to kill himself.
“I’m going to kill myself,” Moore said, according to first assistant prosecutor Kati Rezmierski. “I’m going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You ruined my life.”
Moore, a married father of three, was charged Friday on three counts, including felony home invasion and misdemeanor charges of stalking in a domestic relationship and breaking and entering. Moore pleaded not guilty, and a probable cause hearing was set for Jan. 22, 2026.
Friday evening, after spending two nights in jail, Moore was released on a $25,000 bond with a GPS monitoring system and an order to receive counseling.
This is the latest in a series of scandals that have hit both the athletic department and the university as a whole. It includes a federal indictment in March of former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, who is facing 24 charges of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors from the Eastern District of Michigan allege that Weiss ran a vast, multiyear effort to access the personal accounts of thousands of NCAA student-athletes across the country. He is charged with targeting specific female athletes to access personal and intimate photographs and videos.
Some of the alleged crimes, the feds say, occurred while Weiss was working inside the school’s football facility, Schembechler Hall from 2021 to 2022, and during a previous stint with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
There have been additional run-ins with the NCAA rules, including the high-profile 2023 advanced scouting operation centered around former football staffer Connor Stalions. The NCAA hit the program with four years of probation and a fine that could reach over $30 million.
Former football coach Jim Harbaugh was sanctioned with numerous suspensions in his final years at the school for both the advanced scouting situation and recruiting violation. Harbaugh left to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in January 2024. Moore, who was promoted from offensive coordinator to succeed Harbaugh, has also twice been suspended by the NCAA. He still owes a one-game penalty, which was to be served in 2026, for deleting a thread of text messages sent to Stalions.
The series of scandals have put a spotlight on athletic department as a whole, including on director Warde Manuel, an alum and former player for the Bo Schembechler-led Wolverines of the late 1980s. Manuel has been on the job since 2016.
A high-level meeting of university officials was held Thursday evening, sources told ESPN, leading to intense speculation about Manuel’s future, but he remains on the job. The university would owe Manuel, 57, who signed a new five-year contract in December 2024, about $6.75 million if it dismissed him without cause.
On Thursday, interim university president Domenico Grasso, in a letter to the campus community, asked anyone with knowledge of the Moore situation to provide it via a confidential reporting system.
“Together, we will move forward with integrity and excellence, and reaffirm our dedication to serving the public good,” Grasso wrote.
Despite all of the tumult, the Wolverines’ athletic department is mostly thriving in competition, including the football program winning the 2023 national title. Currently both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are ranked in the top six nationally. Hockey is No. 1.
Meanwhile, the university has consistently set institutional records for the undergraduate application numbers in recent years, hitting 98,310 for the incoming freshman class this year, per federal filings from the university. That is up from 79,743 for 2022, an 18.9% jump in just three years.
Jenner & Block has a long-standing relationship with the university, including, in 2022, investigating an inappropriate relationship between then school president Mark Schlissel and a university employee that led to Schlissel’s removal from office.
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled high-scoring forward Nick Lardis from the minors a day after Connor Bedard got hurt in the final seconds of a loss at St. Louis.
Lardis, 20, could make his NHL debut as soon as Saturday night against Detroit. He had 13 goals and 13 assists in 24 games with Rockford of the American Hockey League.
“He’s a guy who’s scored a lot of goals throughout his young career, going back to junior,” coach Jeff Blashill said, “and he’s had a pretty good start to his American league. I know for sure Connor’s not playing tonight, so we just felt like it gives us another potential offensive guy that can come in and provide some scoring punch.”
Blashill had no update on Bedard, who leads the team with 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games.
With 0.8 seconds left in Friday night’s 3-2 loss at St. Louis, Bedard attempted to win a draw to give Chicago one last chance, but he was knocked down by Blues center Brayden Schenn. He grasped at his right shoulder and immediately headed to the locker room, accompanied by a trainer.
Any significant injury for Bedard would be a major blow for Chicago. It also could take the 20-year-old center out of the running for Canada’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“We’ll know more in the next couple days,” Blashill said. “I just don’t want to say stuff that’s not super accurate, so I don’t see any reason to guess.”
Lardis was selected by Chicago in the third round of the 2023 draft. He had 71 goals and 46 assists in 65 games last season with Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League.
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