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Al Davis: Oakland Raiders Top 10 Craziest Moments Under Davis
January 26, 2011Al Davis: Oakland Raiders Top 10 Craziest Moments Under Davis
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has been known for his crazy antics in his 40 plus years with the franchise. From moving the team out of Los Angeles to his outbursts in the media, he is notorious for his personality swings. While he has achieved great success as the franchise's leader, he has also caused a lot of detriment to the team and its loyal fans.
This slide show is dedicated to the countless incidents that Davis has been a part of while owner of the Raiders. Oakland fans may or may not agree with some of these moments. Regardless, the 81-year-old will always be known for his motto "just win baby." Without further ado, here at the top 10 craziest moments in Al Davis's career as owner of the Oakland Raiders.
Al Davis Scoffs at Calvin Johnson; Downplays JaMarcus Russell As a Draft Bust
Last week in a press conference, Al Davis was asked about JeMarcus Russell and if he would have rather selected Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions instead. This was Davis' response:
"There was some talk of Calvin Johnson. But you can take a look at Calvin up at Detroit. How many games did they win this year, Detroit, do you know? Six? Yeah. But up until now, Calvin hadn't done anything for them. He had been eulogized, but he hadn't made a lot of indelible impression on the won and lost."
Davis is known for his bizarre and quirky comments, but this comment suggesting that somehow Russell isn't one of the biggest busts in NFL history is outright insane. I'm pretty sure any GM would rather have a pro bowl wide receiver over an out-of-shape quarterback that is no longer in the league.
Davis Files Lawsuit Against NFL
In 1980, Davis attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles, but was blocked by a court injunction.
Davis went as far as to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL.In 1982, he was eventually granted his request and the team officially relocated to Los Angeles. It was one of many times that Davis hasn't gotten along with the NFL.
Davis Claims the Raiders Have Exclusive Rights of LA Market
Only Al Davis would claim that the Raiders had exclusive rights to the Los Angeles Market when the team is located in Oakland. And Al Davis is probably the only person that would sue the NFL for such a claim. The crazy owner lost the lawsuit.
NFL Films even ranked the feud between Al Davis and the NFL as the No. 1 greatest feud in NFL history.
The Feud With Marcus Allen
The notorious feud between Davis and the star running back will forever be remembered by Raiders fans.
After being disgruntled with his limited Role due to injuries, Allen demanded a trade, and his relationship with the owner went sour. Davis allowed Allen to leave via free agency, where he signed with Kansas City. Much to the Raiders' loyal dismay, Allen was named the Comeback Player of the Year the following year after having a career season.
This was a monumental blow to the owner's reputation.
Davis Drafts Darrius Heyward-Bey With The Seventh Overall Pick
If you had the choice between Darrius Heyward-Bey, Michael Crabtree, and Jeremy Maclin, who would you choose? I'd take an educated guess that you didn't say Heyward-Bey. But if you're Al Davis, you would use the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft to select Heyward-Bey over the more talented and higher project Crabtree and Maclin.
At least Heyward-Bey runs 4.3 in the 40...
Davis "Trades" Coach Jon Gruden To Tampa Bay
In one of the most outlandish deals that the league has ever seen, Al Davis actually traded then head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Bucks for four draft picks. This unprecedented move has not been repeated is another one of the insane moves by Davis that has cemented his role as one of the most hated owners around the league.
Al Davis-Tom Cable Controversy
The controversial battle between Al Davis and Tom Cable is one of the most memorable Raiders moments in recent history.
Davis fined Cable for a total of $120,000 while he was head coach of the Raiders. Cable returned with a lawsuit of his own against his former boss. Like many former coaches in Raiders franchise history, Cable and Davis' separation was ugly.
Davis recently blasted Cable in the media, stating "he lied to the team."
Al Davis-Lane Kiffin Controversy
Yet another coach to add to the list of bad breakups between coaches and Al Davis. Davis called out Kiffin as a flat-out liar in another one of his famous press conferences. The owner ripped his former head coach in what has become an infamous public fight.
Kiffin filed a grievance with the NFL Coaches Association and the Raiders sent a three-page letter to the University of Tennessee describing the Raiders grievances with the coach. This got very ugly publicly.
Davis Deals Ken Stabler
Davis angered much of Raider nation by dealing Stabler to the Oilers after leading Oakland to their only title at the time. Many people regarded the move as selfish even though the deal ended up paying off in the end.
Al Davis Moves the Team Out Of Los Angeles
One of the hottest topics in sports is the unbelievable fact that one of the most influential markets in the United States, Los Angeles, doesn't have a football team. You can thank Al Davis for that when he moved the team out of LA and returned them to Oakland in 1995.
Many people think this move is mind-boggling because Los Angeles is still without a football team.