It's been a few weeks since the Oakland Raiders front office put themselves in the news, so I guess they figured it was a good time to bring us all some entertainment on Wild Card weekend, with a little help from ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
On Sunday, Mortensen passed along some inside information that Al Davis, owner of the Raiders, was attempting to sell a portion of the team to billionaire Dean Metropoulos. This did not go over well in Davis' lair, according to Steve Corkran of the Oakland Tribune.
Keep in mind, during Davis' bizarre press conference following the firing of Lane Kiffin, Davis referred to Mortensen as "a professional liar," so I'm guessing if Mortensen reported the sky outside his office as being blue, Davis would probably find a way to dispute the report. Anyway, here's what John Herrera had to say on the matter after speaking with Davis.
"The report from Chris Mortensen which states that the Raiders, Al Davis and Amy Trask are in negotiations with Dean Metropoulous to sell the team is totally unfounded and false," Herrera said. "Once again, for reasons known only to him, Mortensen has fabricated a story which has no basis in fact."
I'm guessing Mortensen didn't get a Christmas card or season's greetings from the Raider front office. Though, if Mortensen isn't careful, he may find himself on the verge of a brawl with Hererra, who has already confronted members of the media this season.
Of course, this isn't to say Mortensen's report is wrong, and that Davis isn't looking to sell off a portion of the team. After all, a few years ago Adam Schefter reported the Raiders were going to fire then-head coach Art Shell, only to have the Raiders deny the report and rip Schefter. What happened that offseason? The Raiders fired Shell.
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Who knows what's going to happen, but I'm guessing Raiders fans might be hopeful that Mortensen's report has some truth to it. The one constant over the past seven disappointing seasons in Oakland has been Davis.
The Raiders Dispute Chris Mortensen's Report That Team Is for Sale originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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