OpEd: Al Davis’ NFL feud costly for Cliff Branch and others
Al Davis was one of the most revered men by his players and established a solid front office presence by putting people first. A visionary who brought state-of-the-art ideas to the game of football when they were needed the most. While his legacy was ultimately tainted and he ended up being shunned by many, the names of Walsh, Madden and Biletnikoff were directly influenced by Davis’ contributions.
The Raiders franchise will forever be cemented in NFL history as one of the best in the late 1970s and early 80s. But it was Davis’ lawsuit and eventual all-out war against the league that was likely costly for his players in the minds of Hall of Fame voters. A blessing to play under the lights of Los Angeles with the Hollywood backdrop of glitz and glamor. And yet, a curse to be in the shadows of Davis, according to some who played for the Raiders during their heyday.
For all that Davis represented he was also a thorn in the side of the NFL starting before the modern-day Super Bowl era. The former one-time AFL commissioner helped to spawn both leagues toward unification in 1966 and would give it all away due to Pete Rozelle “wanting to take a lion’s share of the credit,” according to the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary: ‘Al Davis vs. the NFL.’
From that point on, Davis took a hard personal stance against many league reps, including Rozelle himself, for the direction the NFL was headed. The Raiders, led by Davis, lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II. A 33-14 defeat which would set the stage for five Super Bowl appearances over the course of 16 years. Not to mention, 11 AFC Championship games during that time as well. What turned into a battle of league against organization became bizarre with the Pittsburgh Steelers being through into the forefront of the fight for superiority.
Rozelle took the stand to testify in Raiders safety George Atkinson’s $2M slander suit against the Steelers and coach Chuck Noll in 1976. He undoubtedly sided with Noll’s comments that Atkinson’s play was part of a “criminal element” in the NFL. In return, Rozelle stripped Davis from his duties in the league’s competition committee and it was viewed as a retaliation strike for the suit. A set of actions creating a tailspin effect for a battle royal of court proceedings between both parties which became evident based on the members from each organization who were voted into the Hall.
Up until the year 2000, the Raiders saw a total of nine long-time contributors make it into Canton including Davis as an owner. As for the Steelers, a majority of their “Steel Curtain” 70s standouts were welcomed with open arms throughout the 1990’s. A disparity felt by Raiders players and coaches as years went by and HOF voters all but openly shunning them. “It felt like even the Steelers ball boy had a shot to get in,” Hall of Fame coach Tom Flores told SB Nation in February.
Davis’ animosity for Rozelle would take a turn for the worse after NFL owners blocked the Raiders move to LA in 1980. It was shortly after Davis filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league, despite the team remaining in Oakland and a run of playoff appearances ensuing over the decade. The Silver and Black only missed the postseason once in the first half of the 80’s with wins in Super Bowl XV & XVIII.
While the Raiders enjoyed success with a disgruntled Rozelle handing over the Lombardi Trophy to Davis, the lawsuit loomed on in the background despite either man being willing to show their frustration to the cameras. It wasn’t until May of 1982 when a jury gave way to Davis’ move into Los Angeles. Over a year after an original hung jury mistrial decision altered the Raiders plans even further. A three-year process with the NFL losing their appeal.
“We’re fighting for a principle,” Rozelle told reporters at the time.”We don’t think the antitrust laws were intended to let a team just get up and move after 12 straight years of sellouts and to set up a situation where every team can conduct an auction for its franchise when its lease is up.”
Both men would meet again to exchange “handshakes-for-hardware”, a year after ending the LA dispute. Believe it or not, the relationship would hit another bump in the road two years later. In 1986, Davis went against the league to benefit the USFL in its lawsuit against the NFL, which resulted in a judgement for the now defunct secondary football organization. The drawn-out war with the NFL turned on Davis when a famed Raiders rusher wanting out of the City of Angels over a decade later.
Davis pulled the trigger on taking USC’s Heisman winner Marcus Allen in the 1982 NFL Draft via a payphone outside an Los Angeles County courtroom. A moment for celebration in the midst of an uncertain future for the franchise. Allen brought stability in the Raiders backfield and quickly became a hybrid go-to option in the passing game.
However, Allen wore down from being a once solid back over the years to a shell of his prime and Davis didn’t want to let him go. In 1991, the future Hall-of-Famer sued the Raiders for the right to be a free agent. The reason behind it all was Davis thought Allen wasn’t fast enough. Not only was that true, but the NFL gave Allen Comeback Player of the Year as a member of the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. Yet another dart thrown by the NFL.
Rozelle wasn’t around to intervene between Davis and Allen as he would call it a career in 1989. During his retirement speech the commissioner cited his ongoing feud with Davis as a reason he was stepping away from the game of football. “We were fierce competitors but there was always admiration and even a little bit of love and emotion,” Davis said after the news of Rozelle’s exit. “We got caught in a Vietnam affair where it never ended, for the last 10 years.”
The Raiders stayed in LA until moving back to Oakland in 1995.
If you move ahead in the Davis vs. NFL saga into the 2000’s, the waters became calm without much conflict. But the damage was done on both sides. A part of that has gone unspoken as to why a majority of the star players from those Raiders teams in the 80s waited decades to be recognized or are still currently waiting for a call.
One of those was Cliff Branch. The speedy wide receiver saw his peers with less-than-comparable stats go one after another into the Hall. Years turned into decades for Branch and even when his name echoes throughout Saturday’s induction ceremony, he will have been robbed of his moment to physically be there to indulge with his family and friends. One of the many who should’ve received football’s highest honor in his prime and didn’t.“I think it’s a political thing because a lot of the players are blocked from being in the hall of fame with the Raiders because of Al Davis,” Branch said in 2016.
“(He) was the most hated owner because of his lawsuit against the NFL and he won lawsuits against the league. The sportswriters have always had hatred towards Mr. Davis because of his pioneering way and being very successful. You think of all the people that went into the hall of fame and all the times Al Davis presented players from not only the Raiders— I think there’s a lot held against Mr. Davis because of his players.”
It wasn’t just a fight for Branch.
Flores fought for years to make it before he finally got a knock at the door last year. The same can be said for Ken Stabler, who got in six years ago, or even John Madden who waiting 28 years after he quit coaching in 2006. As much as the wrongs of yesterday are slowly being corrected, there are still those waiting on the outside like Jim Plunkett and Henry Lawrence.
Branch’s legacy heads to Canton as the first player from the University of Colorado to be enshrined. It’s a shame after all this time that we couldn’t hear about the struggles and the stories from him personally. Because Cliff was one hell of a storyteller and an even better human who is missed.