McCombs: Davis' S.A. visit went well

Billionaire Red McCombs told the San Antonio Express-News on Wednesday that he and his family would be interested in buying a piece of the Oakland Raiders "if that's what it would take to get them" to San Antonio.

McCombs, however, said he's not sure whether Raiders owner Mark Davis would seek out local investors if he was to relocate the team.

"But I told him if he wanted some, they wouldn't be hard to get," he told the newspaper.

Davis and two high-ranking Raiders front-office personnel met with several city officials in July about the potential of moving his team from Oakland to San Antonio, the Express-News reported last month. McCombs and Spurs owner Peter Holt also were at the meeting.

Davis has acknowledged the visit in a statement he released last month.

McCombs, who owned the Minnesota Vikings from 1998 until 2004, told the Express-News on Wednesday that Davis' visit couldn't "have gone better."

McCombs told the newspaper that it is his belief there is a "definite possibility there may be a relocation" and he doesn't think San Antonio is being used as a "bargaining chip."

The Raiders need a new stadium -- the current lease at O.co Coliseum will expire after this upcoming season -- and had previously, in a roundabout way, been linked to San Antonio, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, as well as nearby Concord and Dublin in the East Bay.

In his statement last month, Davis specifically mentioned former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, citing him as a friend who suggested he meet with city officials. McCombs said Wednesday that Cisneros could be the key if the Raiders relocate to South Texas.

"Mr. Davis was impressed by Henry -- pure and simple," McCombs told the newspaper. "I don't know whether it's a long way from a deal or whatever, but at least there was an opening there and we have a leader to take charge."

McCombs acknowledged to the Express-News the odds might be against San Antonio to land the Raiders, but he thinks the city has solidified itself as a contender if Davis decides to relocate the team.

"For a guy to pick up and move from a place he's been as long as he's been there, that takes a lot," McCombs told the newspaper. "It may not happen. But you got to be in the game, you've got to give yourself a chance, and that's what Henry's doing."