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DeBartolo and L.A. would be a good match
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 12 hours ago
Carmen Policy, a former NFL club executive, said it best. What's said in Vegas, especially during very late-night conversations, should stay in Vegas. Instead, it ended up in the pages of Sports Illustrated this week.
You can count me among those who would welcome Eddie DeBartolo back into the NFL ownership circle. And if Al Davis didn't exist, DeBartolo might make a suitable owner of the Raiders, a franchise beloved by Harley riders everywhere and ignored, for the most part, by corporate America.
DeBartolo, according to the spin, might even be able to redesign the Raiders' image and sell it to Los Angeles high-rollers dying for $250 VIP tickets.That was the gist of the Vegas story. That DeBartolo would love owning any future Los Angeles franchise, whether it be the Raiders, the Saints, the Vikings, the Bills or even his beloved 49ers.
The bad part is that the Raiders aren't for sale, even if Davis is 76 and not in the greatest health. Most believe that Davis will leave his minority share to his son, Mark, who has assumed a more active role in the organization in the past year. There is also no doubt that Raiders chief executive Amy Trask would remain to see that the wishes of Al Davis are carried out.
But an ugly lawsuit last year with the McGah family left Davis a little poorer and he apparently is looking for some new minority investors, considering the team's meager cash flow in Oakland. Even the hurricane-devastated Saints have sold more 2006 season tickets than the Raiders. But no one should interpret that seeking new investors in the Raiders translates to Mr. Davis selling out and retiring.
"I generally enjoy a good work of fiction," Trask said this week. "I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books. But this story (Al selling to Eddie) falls in the category of fiction and should be labeled as such."
Eddie DeBartolo, shown here at Joe Montana's Hall of Fame induction, should be back in the NFL. (David Maxwell / Getty Images)
When DeBartolo owned the San Francisco 49ers with his late father's money, there wasn't a more generous owner with employees and sportswriters. Eddie loved to win and there's virtually nothing he wouldn't do to achieve that goal. Before there was a salary cap, no owner, outside of Washington's Jack Kent Cooke, spent more to win more. He has the five Super Bowl trophies to prove it.
We suspect DeBartolo probably did a lot worse things than get caught in an FBI sting while attempting to bribe then-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards with a briefcase full of money (DeBartolo unwisely left his fingerprints on the $100 bills) in order to gain a state gambling license.
The DeBartolo family, like the Rooneys of Steeler fame, has forever had connections to race tracks. (Interesting, isn't it, that both families have their roots in Pittsburgh?)
I don't view this as a bad thing, but some in society turn their noses up at gamblers who hang around horses and greyhounds. But we can't count Florida Gov. Jeb Bush among those viewing gamblers as undesirables. Bush claims Pat Rooney, who runs the Palm Beach Kennel Club, contacted him to gauge his interest in possibly applying for Paul Tagliabue's job. Bush, thankfully, said he wasn't interested.
The end result back in 1997-98 was that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue booted DeBartolo out of the league and fined him $1 million. The 49ers, stuck with John York and his wife, Denise, Eddie's sister, haven't been the same (on the field) since. In the end, DeBartolo pleaded guilty to felony failure to report a bribe and moved to Tampa and rebuilt his wealth to $1.4 billion. A few years ago, DeBartolo attempted to purchase the Buccaneers, but was rebuffed by the Glazer family, who are among the game's wealthiest owners.
DeBartolo's flamboyant personality is the kind that would sell in Hollywood and possibly make NFL football work in Los Angeles, should the city ever get another NFL franchise.
Jerry Jones has long been considered the kind of owner that most in the NFL believe would succeed in L.A. But Jones is working on his new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys it seems unlikely that he would swap Texas for California.
What gives the DeBartolo story legs is that Jones is in favor of DeBartolo's return to NFL ownership. And, interestingly, Davis also counts Jones as one of his friends and vice versa.
Since we are connecting all these personalities, conspiracy theorists may point out that it was Al Davis who aided DeBartolo in his purchase of the 49ers in 1977 from the Morabito family. But through the years, Davis eventually viewed DeBartolo and Policy as men who broke league rules to win at all costs, hurting the Raiders.
No one is really sure whether or not Policy would rejoin DeBartolo in his L.A. efforts. Policy is currently a Napa winemaker and he recently declined overtures to put his name in contention to replace Tagliabue.
There is no doubt that the NFL is attempting to figure out how viable a return to Los Angeles really is, considering the city and the state has no interest in footing the bill for a $700-800 million stadium to replace the Coliseum. On the flip side, the Raiders are financially the poorest team in the league in terms of local revenue. The 49ers and San Diego Chargers are closer to the Raiders than they are to the Commanders and Patriots, the teams at the top.
DeBartolo says he is willing to risk his new wealth on the NFL and Los Angeles.
His idea has been floated and now it's up to the league and an owner willing to sell to make his dream a reality. Of course, Los Angeles has been without pro football since the 1995 season and many in California believe it could be another dozen years before anything positive really occurs.
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 12 hours ago
Carmen Policy, a former NFL club executive, said it best. What's said in Vegas, especially during very late-night conversations, should stay in Vegas. Instead, it ended up in the pages of Sports Illustrated this week.
You can count me among those who would welcome Eddie DeBartolo back into the NFL ownership circle. And if Al Davis didn't exist, DeBartolo might make a suitable owner of the Raiders, a franchise beloved by Harley riders everywhere and ignored, for the most part, by corporate America.
DeBartolo, according to the spin, might even be able to redesign the Raiders' image and sell it to Los Angeles high-rollers dying for $250 VIP tickets.That was the gist of the Vegas story. That DeBartolo would love owning any future Los Angeles franchise, whether it be the Raiders, the Saints, the Vikings, the Bills or even his beloved 49ers.
The bad part is that the Raiders aren't for sale, even if Davis is 76 and not in the greatest health. Most believe that Davis will leave his minority share to his son, Mark, who has assumed a more active role in the organization in the past year. There is also no doubt that Raiders chief executive Amy Trask would remain to see that the wishes of Al Davis are carried out.
But an ugly lawsuit last year with the McGah family left Davis a little poorer and he apparently is looking for some new minority investors, considering the team's meager cash flow in Oakland. Even the hurricane-devastated Saints have sold more 2006 season tickets than the Raiders. But no one should interpret that seeking new investors in the Raiders translates to Mr. Davis selling out and retiring.
"I generally enjoy a good work of fiction," Trask said this week. "I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books. But this story (Al selling to Eddie) falls in the category of fiction and should be labeled as such."
Eddie DeBartolo, shown here at Joe Montana's Hall of Fame induction, should be back in the NFL. (David Maxwell / Getty Images)
When DeBartolo owned the San Francisco 49ers with his late father's money, there wasn't a more generous owner with employees and sportswriters. Eddie loved to win and there's virtually nothing he wouldn't do to achieve that goal. Before there was a salary cap, no owner, outside of Washington's Jack Kent Cooke, spent more to win more. He has the five Super Bowl trophies to prove it.
We suspect DeBartolo probably did a lot worse things than get caught in an FBI sting while attempting to bribe then-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards with a briefcase full of money (DeBartolo unwisely left his fingerprints on the $100 bills) in order to gain a state gambling license.
The DeBartolo family, like the Rooneys of Steeler fame, has forever had connections to race tracks. (Interesting, isn't it, that both families have their roots in Pittsburgh?)
I don't view this as a bad thing, but some in society turn their noses up at gamblers who hang around horses and greyhounds. But we can't count Florida Gov. Jeb Bush among those viewing gamblers as undesirables. Bush claims Pat Rooney, who runs the Palm Beach Kennel Club, contacted him to gauge his interest in possibly applying for Paul Tagliabue's job. Bush, thankfully, said he wasn't interested.
The end result back in 1997-98 was that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue booted DeBartolo out of the league and fined him $1 million. The 49ers, stuck with John York and his wife, Denise, Eddie's sister, haven't been the same (on the field) since. In the end, DeBartolo pleaded guilty to felony failure to report a bribe and moved to Tampa and rebuilt his wealth to $1.4 billion. A few years ago, DeBartolo attempted to purchase the Buccaneers, but was rebuffed by the Glazer family, who are among the game's wealthiest owners.
DeBartolo's flamboyant personality is the kind that would sell in Hollywood and possibly make NFL football work in Los Angeles, should the city ever get another NFL franchise.
Jerry Jones has long been considered the kind of owner that most in the NFL believe would succeed in L.A. But Jones is working on his new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys it seems unlikely that he would swap Texas for California.
What gives the DeBartolo story legs is that Jones is in favor of DeBartolo's return to NFL ownership. And, interestingly, Davis also counts Jones as one of his friends and vice versa.
Since we are connecting all these personalities, conspiracy theorists may point out that it was Al Davis who aided DeBartolo in his purchase of the 49ers in 1977 from the Morabito family. But through the years, Davis eventually viewed DeBartolo and Policy as men who broke league rules to win at all costs, hurting the Raiders.
No one is really sure whether or not Policy would rejoin DeBartolo in his L.A. efforts. Policy is currently a Napa winemaker and he recently declined overtures to put his name in contention to replace Tagliabue.
There is no doubt that the NFL is attempting to figure out how viable a return to Los Angeles really is, considering the city and the state has no interest in footing the bill for a $700-800 million stadium to replace the Coliseum. On the flip side, the Raiders are financially the poorest team in the league in terms of local revenue. The 49ers and San Diego Chargers are closer to the Raiders than they are to the Commanders and Patriots, the teams at the top.
DeBartolo says he is willing to risk his new wealth on the NFL and Los Angeles.
His idea has been floated and now it's up to the league and an owner willing to sell to make his dream a reality. Of course, Los Angeles has been without pro football since the 1995 season and many in California believe it could be another dozen years before anything positive really occurs.
