actually zjp even though jk was a bit over the top their is some truth to what he was saying.
Al Davis is quite possibly the most controversial figure in sports history. If you aren't a Raiders fan, you probably can't stand the thought of him. The truth is that without this strong-willed, do-anything-it-takes-to-win type of manager, the NFL wouldn't exist as it is today. Love him or hate him; if you are an NFL fan, you are an Al Davis fan.
As any football fan knows, there was a rival league to the NFL throughout the 1960s. It always appeared the NFL was superior to the AFL. The truth is in 1966 Al Davis was elected AFL commissioner because the AFL teams knew he would do anything (and everything) it takes to make the AFL succeed. There was one major mistake made by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle that nearly cost the NFL to fold, and the AFL to prosper.
Back then, the NFL and AFL fought over the right to sign players to contracts to play in their league. There was an unspoken rule between the AFL and NFL that when one league got a player, that player belonged to the representative league. This changed however when AFL placekicker Pete Gogolak was signed by the NFL's New York Giants after his contract was expired. Rather than vetoing the contract (like was typically done), Commissioner Rozelle allowed the contract and the war between the AFL and the NFL was officially on.
Al Davis is not one to back down from a challenge, and Commissioner Rozelle's actions were a direct attempt to force the AFL into submission. Rather than back down and surrender, Commissioner Davis instead formulated a battle plan to attack the NFL. Instead of signing NFL players whose contracts had expired, Davis encouraged AFL owners to go after the heart of the NFL....the quarterbacks.
Davis sought out all the NFL's top quarterbacks, and had them signed to futures contracts. Thus, NFL quarterbacks that had years remaining on their current contracts were signed to contracts that would take place two or three years down the road when the contracts did expire. In doing so, ALL 8 AFL teams had signed an NFL staring quarterback to a futures contract including John Brodie and Roman Gabriel. The gloves were off against the NFL.
The AFL would always give the NFL scores, the NFL never the AFL scores. And the AFL canceled their games when Kennedy was assassinated; the NFL did not. The arrogance of the NFL continues today.
