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Raiders owner calls A's front office 'real pricks'

Michael Zagaris / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Warning: Story contains coarse language

The NFL's Oakland Raiders are in the final stages of moving their franchise to Las Vegas, and on their way out the door, team owner Mark Davis had some choice words regarding his fellow Coliseum tenant, the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.

"Unfortunately, there's a problem there," Davis told Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic about the A's current deal to stay at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, or in Oakland at all. "As far as the players and everybody, we love the A's. We seriously do. But the front office has been real pricks.

"They’ve been really fucking around with us up there, taking advantage of the situation."

The Raiders' lease at the Coliseum officially expired following the 2018-19 season, prompting the Athletics to begin baseball-friendly renovations on the stadium despite the fact the Silver and Black were without a home. Prior to the 2019 MLB campaign, A's chief operating officer Chris Giles announced new premium seating, lounges, and theater boxes would be added.

After an attempt to play their final season in Oakland at Oracle Park - the permanent home of the San Francisco Giants - fell through, the Raiders were forced to sign a one-year lease to remain at the Coliseum.

Alameda County is currently finalizing an agreement that would sell their share of the Coliseum to the Athletics, according to Ali Tadayon of The East Bay Times. However, Oakland City Council members have called on the county to reconsider the agreement, and sell to the city instead, which would give Oakland a 100-percent stake in the Coliseum.

Another recent proposal has suggested that the Athletics would move to a brand new ballpark built on the Howard Terminal waterfront in the Jack London Square neighborhood, 6 miles north of their current home, in a privately financed stadium.

"They're totally fucking dysfunctional," Davis added. "It's that fucking bad over there."

When asked for comment later on the topic, Davis walked back his criticisms to some degree.

"I am not sorry for the things I said," the Raiders owner told ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "But I am sorry for the way I said them."

The Raiders will spend one final season as co-tenants with the Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before moving to Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev. so long as construction is completed prior to 2020 kickoff.

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