Page 14-Friday, July 24, 1981-The Michigan Daily
Testimony finished in
Davis vs. NFL case
LOS ANGELES (AP)-Al Davis,
managing general partner of the
Oakland Raiders, scored the final jab
yesterday as testimony ended in the 50-
day federal court antitrust trial in
which he seeks to move his football
team to Los Angeles.
National Football League Com-
missioner Pete Rozelle had testified
that he talked with Davis only once
during late 1979 and early 1980 concer-
ning Davis' plans to move the Raiders
to Los Angeles.
DAVIS' ATTORNEY, Joseph Alioto,
projected telephone bills on a screen
which indicated that the Oakland of-
ficial had talked with the commissioner
four times.
The Raiders and the Los Angeles
Coliseum sued the NFL because the
league will not permit a move from
Oakland to Los Angeles.
After 50 days of testimony, the trial
now goes to a study of motions, and the
jury is expected to get the case on Wed-
nesday.
JUDGE HARRY Pregerson must.
decide on the motions, including one by
the NFL to give a directed verdict in its
favor.
"I was having a great deal of trouble
in Oakland," Dayis said in rebuttal,
"and we were very interested in Los
Angeles."
He pointed out that an informal
agreement, which was acceptable to
him, had been turned down in Oakland.
ROZELLE, IN concluding the defen-
se arguments, said that if teams are
allowed to move without league ap-
proval, "It will be an auction setup. It
will be bidding by cities. Owners would
accept the best offer. I don't think it
would be in the best interest of the NFL
or the public."
In 1978, the NFL changed a key rule
which would have required a
unanimous vote of all members before
another could move. The rule was
changed, with Oakland abstaining, to
make it a 75 percent vote.
Davis holds that he changed his vote
from "no" to "abstain" because he had
been assured that he could move if he
desired.
ALIOTO ASKED Rozelle that if,
before the change, any city had ab-
solute veto power over any move.
The commissioner answered affir-
matively.
Asked about the changing of the rule
to 75 percent, Rozelle said he had heard
no member voicing opposition, adding,
"Mr. Davis was not sitting close to me.
I would have heard any statement he
made when he had the attention of the
chair."
ROZELLE referred to the fact that he
was chairman at the meeting.
Davis, the final witness, said that a
group in Oakland had made an accep-
table offer to him, but that it was turned
down by the Coliseum Commission
there.
However, during this time, he said he
had been in contact with William
Robertson, the man in charge of finding
another NFL team to replace the AP Ph
Rams, who moved from the Los
Angeles Coliseum to Anaheim starting l S t rt
with the 1980 season. Kathy Whitwarth waves to the crowd after knocking in s birdie at th
Judge Pregerson will meet with at- 18th hole to complete her first-round 69 at the U.S. Women's Open yesterda
torneys for both sides today. The jury in LaGrange, Ill.,'good for a share of the lead with Beth Daniel. Whitworth,
returns on Monday for the start of final tour veteran of 23 years and winner of 81 tournaments, has never finished o
arguments. tok in the Women's Open.
Stabler announces
his retirement
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4
SELMA, Ala. (AP) - Houston Oilers
quarterback Ken Stabler has retired
from pro football, ending his 12-year
professional career, his attorney Henry
Pitts said yesterday.
Stabler did not give any reasons for
his decision, Pitts said.
PITTS SAID Stabler is not con-
sidering a renegotiated contract or a
trade and denied any connections bet-
ween his recent no-show at football
camp and the retirement decision.
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Stabler's junexpected retirement
follows Wednesday's announcement by
Russ Francis, an All-Pro tight end of
the New England Patriots, that he
would retire.
Stabler has no immediate plans for
his future occupation, Pitts said.
STABLER, FORMER quarterback
for the Oakland Raiders, was traded to
the Oilers last year ina swap for former
Oilers' quarterback Dan Pastorini.
A native of Foley, Ala., Stabler was
an All-American quarterback under
coach Bear Bryant at Alabama.
Stabler led the American Football
Conference with a 64.1 completion per-
centage, connecting on 293 of 457 at-
tempts for 3,202 yards and 13 touch-
downs. He also threw 28 interceptions in
his only season with the Oilers.
STABLER FINISHED 11th among
AFC passers last season.
Stabler -and three other veterans
failed to report to training camp on
time Wednesday in San Angelo, Texas.
The Oilers said Stabler and two of the
others would be fined $500 per day for
each day they were late.
It had been expected that Stabler
would receive strong competition from
backup quarterback Gifford Nielsen for
the starting assignment this season.
ED BILES, first-year head coach of
the Oilers, said following Stabler's an-
nouncement that Nielsen would be his
starter-at quarterback ..........
Nielsen, a third-round draft choice in
1978, played behind former Oiler quar-
terback Dan Pastorini for two seasons
and was a seldom-used backup for
Stabler last year.
Biles had already said, however, that
Nielsen, who led the nation in passing at
Brigham Young, would be a serious
contender for the starting job this year.
ENTERING 1980, Stabler was the
most accurate passer in NFL history,
completing 59.95 percent of his passes.
Based on the league's quarterback
rating system, Stabler is listed seventh.
Stabler, a tltree-time Pro Bowl selec-
tion and the Associated Press AFC Of-
fensive Player of the Year in 1975, led
the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XI,
a 32-14 decision over the Minnesota
Vikings.
In 1979, Stabler was allegedly in-
volved in a drug frame-up involving
Sacramento, Calif. sportswriter Bob
Padecky.
Padecky, visiting Stabler in his
hometown,. was arrested when police
were tipped off that there were drugs in
his possession.. A small amount of
cocaine was found under the fender of
Padecky's car, and Padecky was
arrested and immediately released.
Stabler denied any connection with
Padecky's arrest and was later
exonerated by the National Football
-Leaguoeof any wrpIRgrdciog.,