DAVIS CONCLUDES SWORN TESTIMONY

(4/16/01) Al Davis concluded his testimony Monday as the Raiders’ portion of the trial in Los Angeles nears completion.

The final Raiders’ witness will be an economist who will testify that the Raiders are owed hundreds of millions of dollars in damages by the other NFL clubs. The Raiders are expected to rest their case at the end of Tuesday’s session.

Davis on Monday admitted that the NFL owned the rights to Houston, St. Louis and Baltimore when teams relocated from those cities in the 1980s and 90s. When asked whether the League - not the individual teams - owned the expansion opportunities when the Oilers left Houston, the Cardinals left St. Louis and the Colts left Baltimore, Davis agreed that it "turned out that way, yes." He testified that none of those teams received any special payment when the Texans, Rams or Ravens were located in those cities.

These facts conflict with Davis’ claim that his team - not the league - owns the Los Angeles market despite the fact that the Raiders moved to Oakland for a better financial package in 1995.

Davis was asked by NFL attorney Allen Ruby whether he ever told any of his partners in the Raiders that the team owned the rights to Los Angeles, an asset Davis valued at $600 million. "Several of them wouldn’t understand," Davis replied.

Davis also testified that in 1999 he and his fellow Raiders owners purchased the

16-17% of the club owned by long-time partner Jack Brooks. The purchase price of Brooks’ share was $32.5 million, making the total projected value of the club only $190 million. Davis also agreed that no financial statement or other business record of the Raiders reflected the claimed ownership of the Los Angeles opportunity.

When asked whether the projected $190 million value reflected both the value of the team and the Los Angeles opportunity that the Raiders allegedly hold, Davis replied "Certainly not."

The Raiders claim that they bought the territorial rights to Los Angeles as part of the settlement that ended the team’s earlier litigation against the league in 1989. In fact, the Raiders were paid $18 million in that settlement. Ruby emphasized today to Davis and the jury that the lengthy 1989 settlement document contained no reference to the purchase of any such rights by the Raiders.

The trial resumes at 9:30 AM Tuesday in Judge Richard Hubbell’s courtroom.