Los Angeles — NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue testified Tuesday that the Oakland Raiders abandoned their claim to the lucrative Los Angeles market when the team moved back to the San Francisco Bay area in 1995.
The team, which moved to Los Angeles from Oakland in 1982, is suing the NFL for more than $1 billion, claiming it was forced out of Southern California 13 years later and never reimbursed for the market rights it relinquished.
"When the Raiders came down to L.A., we paid for the market," Raiders' attorney Joseph Alioto said during the trial's opening statements Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. "The NFL refused to pay for it when they left, even though they did so for other teams in the past."
But Tagliabue, the first witness to testify in the case, said the NFL had no financial obligation.
"Once the Raiders moved their league franchise to Oakland, they owned nothing in L.A., according to the league bylaws and constitution," he said.
The Raiders also claim the league interfered with the team's plans to move from the Los Angeles Coliseum to a proposed new stadium in nearby Inglewood in 1995. The team moved back to Oakland shortly after those stadium plans fell through.
In his opening statement, NFL lawyer Allen Ruby said there was no interference, adding the league "offered to do more for the Raiders financially than had ever been done for any team in NFL history."
He said the league offered the Raiders the opportunity to hold at least two Super Bowls at the proposed stadium adjacent to the Hollywood Park horse track and 10,000 extra tickets to those Super Bowls for buyers of luxury suites. It also offered to waive an estimated $7.5 million from luxury suite sales that normally would be shared with the NFL, he said.
Ruby also told the jury of eight men and four women that the Raiders never committed in writing to do their part in building the stadium.
"The Raiders had meetings, but commit themselves never," he said.
Raiders lawyers said the league treated the team unfairly during the stadium negotiations, insisting that a second franchise be allowed to share the facility. That demand was just one of many examples of unfair treatment the team received, Alioto told the jury.
He also said that in the past the league has paid teams that moved from larger media markets to smaller ones, establishing a policy for doing so in 1960. That year, the league paid $500,000 to the Chicago Cardinals franchise when it moved to St. Louis.
Raiders owner Al Davis, who watched the proceedings, refused to say outside court whether the franchise wants to return to Los Angeles. He added the focus should be on the NFL's past treatment of the team.
"There's no question we should be paid," Davis said. "The only question is the number."
Cowboys interested in Leaf
Dallas The Dallas Cowboys are still searching for Troy Aikman's replacement, but they're not telling anyone who that might be.
Citing anonymous sources, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday that the Cowboys contacted Tampa Bay about obtaining troubled quarterback Ryan Leaf in a trade.
The Cowboys were believed to be offering one of several players for Tampa Bay to choose from none of whom had major roles with the team last year. They could have claimed Leaf from San Diego for a $100 waiver fee on March 2.
Giants hire von Appen
East Rutherford, N.J. Fred von Appen, fired as defensive line coach by the Minnesota Vikings two months ago, was hired Tuesday as special teams coach by the New York Giants. Von Appen's final game with the Vikings was a 41-0 loss to the Giants in the NFC championship game on Jan. 14.
Frerotte returns to Broncos
Denver Unable to find a starting job elsewhere, quarterback Gus Frerotte returned to the Denver Broncos after agreeing to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
Browns sign Enis
Cleveland Curtis Enis is getting a chance to re-start his football career not far from where it began. Enis, a running back who failed to live up to expectations during three disappointing seasons with the Chicago Bears, on Tuesday signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Matthews, Bears agree to terms
Lake Forest, Ill. Quarterback Shane Matthews on Tuesday agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Matthews visited with the Denver Broncos on Monday, but decided to stay with the Bears. Terms of the deal were not released.
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