OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum.
A's President Michael Crowley issued the statement Wednesday after the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority said the team owes more than $5 million in back rent.
Crowley says the team owes no money and says rent payments were deducted in the past for items allowed under the terms of the lease.
The A's current lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2015 season, and the team rejected a 10-year extension offer on Tuesday, saying the deal "did not address all of our issues."
The A's have been searching for a new home for years, complaining that O.co Coliseum is dilapidated and not conducive to baseball. The team would like to move to San Jose but is blocked by Major League Baseball rules that define Santa Clara County as the exclusive territory of the San Francisco Giants.