Willie Davis to Lead L.A.’s Hunt for a New Team

Mayor Tom Bradley on Thursday appointed broadcaster, businessman and former football great Willie Davis to head a task force to look for a new professional football team for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, if the Raiders deal with Oakland is signed.

Bradley, appearing at a news conference after meeting with his Committee to Support Professional Football, said he believes that Oakland should hold a referendum on its $660-million offer to the Raiders.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission approved at a special meeting Thursday the concept of a 20-year lease of the Coliseum to its private managers, Spectacor Management Group and MCA Inc., plus a $15-million loan of Coliseum funds to the private firms.

The loan would be made only after they were able to make a deal with a pro football franchise, either by renegotiating with the Raiders or finding another NFL team.

The actual agreement has yet to be made final, however. Commission President Matthew Grossman said he hoped that the details of the lease would be ready for a vote within two weeks.

Such a lease, aimed at strengthening the hand of the private managers in negotiating with pro teams for renovation of the Coliseum, would also require the approval of the state Board of the Museum of Science and Industry.