Marcus Allen and Al Davis Beef
Allen: I want Oakland to keep the Raiders, but . . .
Marcus Allen wants the Raiders to stay in Oakland. It's only if they can't stay there that he'd be happy to see them back in their former home, where he became a franchise legend.
He also is on good terms with a member of Al Davis' family, he points out, and doesn't believe the current edition of his old team has a completely bleak future. First and foremost, though, he still likes the sound of "Oakland Raiders."
"I've had conversations with people about that,'' the Hall of Fame running back told Sporting News on Monday. He paused, then continued: "I know that the Raiders are trying to do anything they can so Oakland is a possibility, first and foremost. But if that doesn't work out, Los Angeles is the logical place, because of their history there. And I say the same thing about the Rams, because both teams were here in the region for so many years.
"The fans in Oakland are fantastic, and I know they deserve to have the team there. My experience is as an L.A. Raider. That's where I played for them … It's important to say, I try to be as objective as possible, but I'm always partial to that.''
Allen, who is promoting his participation in a major youth sports initiative in New Orleans by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and Mercedes-Benz, felt the need to clarify comments last July to NBC Sports Network while at a celebrity golf tournament. "I'd rather see — I know people in Oakland won't like this — the team back in Los Angeles. I think it's a viable option,'' he told the network.
Also worth clarifying to him: his bond with the current owner, Mark Davis, the son of the late Al Davis, whose bitter, and still largely-unexplained, feud with Allen defined the franchise's last few years in L.A. and prompted Allen's exit to Kansas City in 1993.
"We've always been friends,'' Allen said, without hesitation, with a laugh in recognition of the obvious question. "I really don't want to elaborate or draw any comparisons with anyone else. I know how easy that is to make, and I know it always brings up questions about his father.
"But we've always been friends. Nothing has ever changed between us.''
Mark Davis brought Allen back in 2012 to light the pre-game "Al Davis" torch atop o.Co Coliseum (that day, the owner called Allen "the absolute true Raider"), and invited him back again last Thursday night with his fellow Raiders Hall of Famers to honor the most recent inductee, Ray Guy, at the home game against the Chiefs.
"The fans are great,'' he said, adding that several told him that he was their good-luck charm, with the Raiders winning both times he's appeared there, including their first win of this season Thursday.
Allen and currently embattled general manager Reggie McKenzie were teammates in L. A. for four years; while Allen steered clear of evaluating the job McKenzie has done, he praised two of his picks this season.
"I like the quarterback,'' he said of Derek Carr. "When you look overall at a quarterback's trial by fire, for a rookie, I think he's doing an excellent job. I love Khalil Mack; he's a heck of a player and he's having a great year. They have some pieces. They do have to make some adjustments, but I look at those two players and say, that's something good to start with; you've got two very good players there.''
Allen would rather see Carr and Mack play the next stage of their career right where they are now, but he knows the options the franchise has.
"The Raiders certainly deserve better,'' he said, referring to their current stadium situation. "Either the city is going to do something about that, or the Raiders will look into their other options."
Including Los Angeles — but only if necessary, he said.
Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-marcus-allen-raiders-stay-in-oakland-move-to-los-angeles-last-resort-nbc-sports-mark-davis-owner-al-feud-chiefs/9bb55hgddeja1r4fo0vrwu8e6
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