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On Monday, Raiders owner Mark Davis abruptly announced that team president Marc Badain had resigned. The news shocked many outside the organization.
It shocked many inside the organization, too. Via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, the “move was met with shock in the organization.”
Badain addressed the move in a text message to Gutierrez.
“The successful construction and operation of Allegiant Stadium has been unequivocally the most challenging part of my 30 years with the organization,” Badain said. “Seeing it through to the end has been rewarding beyond measure. Together the Raiders and Las Vegas accomplished what seemed impossible. . . . I am forever grateful to [Mark Davis] for his unwavering support and friendship. I wish him and the Raider family the best. I will always feel a part of the team because everyone knows. . . . Once A Raider Always A Raider.”
But no longer the Raiders president, or even a Raiders employee after 30 years with the team. The timing and circumstances create real confusion, and they invite speculation that there’s a story lurking somewhere behind the official story. The mere fact that Badain left a month before the stadium he worked so hard to get built will welcome a full house for the first time makes the whole situation even stranger.
