| ROSEMONT, Ill. — The bad vibes resulting from Raiders
owner Al Davis’ unsuccessful $1.2 billion lawsuit against the NFL generated the
biggest buzz on the wrapup day of an owners meeting that was heralded as "the most
productive since the mid-’80s" by commissioner Paul Tagliabue. With his power
reaching perhaps an all-time high in the wake of a surprisingly quick agreement Wednesday
on full-scale realignment beginning with the 2002 season, Tagliabue strongly implied in
his closing remarks to the national media that the absence of Davis at these meetings was
a key factor behind the session’s considerable productivity.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the verdict in the Raiders’ lawsuit,
Tagliabue confirmed the possibility that Davis could be sanctioned for pursuing the
acrimonious lawsuit that would have cost each of his fellow owners about $40 million had
the Raiders won the case.
"It’s in the bylaws, and our people will be looking at the question down the
road," Tagliabue said about the potential for some sort of disciplinary recourse
against Davis, who has yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit verdict.
"At this point, our people are more focused on the 2001 season. It’s a bit
premature to talk about right now."
The majority of Davis’ colleagues in attendance at these meetings, however,
indicated they have never been more disgusted with the Raiders’ maverick owner.
"Everybody is very upset — with justification," said Steelers owner Dan
Rooney, a key member of the brain trust behind the league’s new realignment plan.
"We’re a partnership. We should be all working together, like we did with
realignment. How you deal with people is important.
"He (Davis) still has two or three cases still out there. Where does it stop? We
have a responsibility to look into it (disciplinary action), and what’s involved, and
what the possible remedies are.
"And we have to look at where Al is himself."
When asked if there was any way he envisioned Davis getting "back in the
loop," Tagliabue rolled his eyes and said, "I don’t know where he
is."
Tagliabue made it clear, however, that he thinks Davis was in the wrong for
implementing a lawsuit that, the commissioner believes, was on shaky legal ground from the
get-go.
"I thought the whole lawsuit was uncalled for in the first place," Tagliabue
said. "The resolution that was set forth in the league’s proposed Hollywood
project on Davis’ behalf was extremely generous and unprecedented in terms of the
level of financial support from the league. For Davis to file a lawsuit in circumstances
where he was treated more generously and effectively than any other team was uncalled for.
"I never viewed the case as a personal attack until it was twisted around in that
way. The real affront here is to the other owners. When the other teams put together a
financial package and supported it as enthusiastically as they did at the Jacksonville
meeting in May 1995, leaving no stone unturned to try and get a stadium built for an owner
who then turns around and sues them, is outrageous.
"In the last decade, we’ve been involved in more than 20 successful stadium
projects. I think that says something about our ability in this regard. When an owner
makes a choice to go for a more lucrative deal and then turns around and sues the other
owners, I think it’s an insult to the other owners much more than me."
Insulting enough to get Davis suspended?
Stay tuned.
Before wrapping up the last owners meeting until October, the league did tackle a few
other issues besides realignment and the Davis lawsuit.
To wit:
- In an effort to clarify the NFL’s anti-tampering policy, owners amended a
resolution aimed at more clearly defining the differences between promotions and lateral
job changes at the front-office level.
- Owners approved a change that will allow teams to wait until the day of games to
designate their inactive players. Previously, four players had to be designated inactive
on the Friday before the game.
- Tagliabue said the league will wait at least a few seasons before deciding whether to
add to the current number of playoff teams. However, proposals are being exchanged on
various tie-breaker scenarios for the 2002 season, with one possibility enabling wild-card
teams with better records being seeded higher in the second round of the playoffs than
division winners.
- Owners discussed the league’s support for stadium construction in general terms, in
addition to approving internal steps relative to a new stadium for the Arizona Cardinals
and final approval of full-scale stadium renovation for the Green Bay Packers.
- League officiating was discussed, with emphasis on sportsmanship issues.
Related stories:
Arkush: A sense of history helped nail down
realignment
Arizona, Seattle OK with move to revamped NFC
West
League quickly approves realignment
Agrest: Commend owners for job well done |
