The Las Vegas Raiders are receiving praise for a record $25 million contribution toward Nevada’s first stand-alone children’s hospital, even as the franchise is seeking public funding for improvements to Allegiant Stadium.

The timing prompted John Tournour to highlight the Raiders’ broader impact on Southern Nevada. On JT The Brick Show, he pointed to the team’s economic footprint and asked a simple question.

“None of this happens if the Raiders aren’t here. So for those of you who wonder why we have a stadium, why we play in Vegas, why we might improve the stadium because Elon’s got this unbelievable Vegas loop that’s going to go underground the stadium so we can get people to and from the game, just understand where would Vegas be without the Raiders?,” Tournour said on the show.

His comments came after the Raiders and Intermountain Health announced a $25 million gift to help build Nevada’s first stand-alone children’s hospital. Mark Davis, Egon Durban and Michael Meldman are each contributing $5 million, while the Raiders are adding another $10 million. The franchise says it is the largest philanthropic commitment in its history.

The planned hospital will be located at the UNLV Harry Reid Research and Technology Park. Intermountain Health says the 828,000-square-foot facility will have 180 beds and provide pediatric emergency, inpatient, outpatient, and specialty care. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months, with the hospital expected to open in 2030.

Tournour also focused on the financial activity surrounding an NFL team and argued that the Raiders’ impact extends well beyond the games themselves.

“This is big boy money. This is the type of money that comes to town via tourism, revenue, because of the NFL,” Tournour said.

That point comes with an interesting backdrop. The Raiders are currently seeking $75 million from the Las Vegas Stadium Authority toward a separate $158 million project at Allegiant Stadium. The remaining $83 million would come from the team. The proposed work includes a pedestrian deck, event deck, public plaza, and transportation improvements around the stadium’s north entrance.

The $75 million would come from the Stadium Authority’s Waterfall Residual Fund, which is made up of excess hotel-room-tax revenue after other obligations connected to the stadium financing are covered. So while the Raiders are not asking for a new tax, the requested money is still public funding tied to hotel-room-tax revenue.

The proposed improvements are also being discussed ahead of Super Bowl LXIII, which is scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in 2029. The Raiders and Stadium Authority are targeting completion of the project before the event.

The two projects are separate, and the Raiders’ hospital contribution is not being used to pay for the stadium work. Intermountain Health had already been developing the children’s hospital, with the Raiders’ contribution now providing a substantial boost to the project.

For Davis, the donation adds another major community initiative to the Raiders’ growing presence in Las Vegas. At the same time, the stadium proposal keeps the debate over public funding for professional sports facilities alive, giving the franchise two very different financial stories to answer for.