Tony Avelar / AP
Monday, April 17, 2017 | 2:09 p.m.
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Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said he doesn’t foresee the Oakland fans turning their back on the team this season with its pending move to Las Vegas.
Speaking today at the team’s first offseason workout, Carr said any fans who pull their support will be in the minority.
“This is just another thing we’re going to deal with together. We’re not going to split up like you’ve seen other cities do,” Carr said at a news conference live-streamed on the team’s website. “For the ones that do, I don’t believe they are true Raiders fans. I feel their hurt; I hurt too. But at the same time, we’re all in this together, and we’re going to do this together.”
Those who might shun the Raiders in Oakland won’t be the focus of the team while it finishes out its time there. The team plans to begin playing in Las Vegas in 2020 after construction on a new $1.9 billion stadium is completed.
“Out of 1,000 people, you’re going to have one or two who have something to say,” he said. “If something happens, it will be the 1 percent. Hopefully you don’t focus on that kind of stuff, because we have the 99 percent of fans who are going to ride with us wherever we’re at.”
In the next few years, the Raiders will do everything they can to show their appreciation for the fans in Oakland, Carr said. But they won’t forget about their future in Las Vegas, either, he said.
“To take care of our fans here, to make sure we enjoy our last times, whether it be two years, three years, who knows, but that’s my focus, is to give this city everything I can,” he said. “I just want to do a little bit here and there and obviously there is going to be times when we’re in Vegas doing things. That’s our situation.”
Carr said he doesn’t anticipate any issues drawing Raiders fans in Las Vegas, whether it’s locals or fans from other places, including Southern California.
“I’ve spent some time all around the country. I spent some time in Mexico, and there are Raiders fans everywhere. Raiders Nation is an international brand. When you see that logo, you know what that is, no matter where you’re at.”
Carr said fans in Las Vegas should be excited.
“We have a really good football team,” he said. “When we go there, it’s not so much of us incorporating ourselves into Vegas, it’s the Las Vegas people incorporating into the Raiders. We aren’t going to change who we are.”
Another thing not changing, Carr said, is who he roots for in college football.
The Raiders will share the stadium in Las Vegas with UNLV. But Carr’s allegiance remains with his college alma mater.
“I can’t root for UNLV when we get there, so please don’t be offended,” he said. “I love you guys, but Fresno State all the way.”
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