Post by TheShadow on Sept 22, 2012 15:45:42 GMT -5
www.insidebayarea.com
By Randy Sumimoto
The estrangement between Marcus Allen and the Raiders is ending.
Allen, 52, will light the ceremonial flame that honors Al Davis, the late team owner, before the Raiders host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The news was first reported by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
"Marcus is lighting the flame for my father, and it means a lot to me," Mark Davis told this newspaper. "I've known Marcus a long, long time, and we've always been friends."
Allen and Al Davis feuded for many years after the star running back tried to renegotiate his contract before the 1988 season. Allen did not attend the team's minicamps in May. Two months later, he was asked to leave the team's weight room.
Allen, a five-time Pro Bowl selection in his first six seasons, returned to the team the day before the 1989 season started, but his relationship with Davis was never the same.
Allen's playing time was reduced over the next few seasons, and he spoke out in an interview that was aired at halftime of a Monday Night Football game near the end of the 1992 season. He said Davis was trying to ruin the latter part of his career.
Davis responded in a television interview on "NFL Today," calling Allen "a distraction and a cancer to our football team."
Allen soon joined the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played his final five seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
By Randy Sumimoto
The estrangement between Marcus Allen and the Raiders is ending.
Allen, 52, will light the ceremonial flame that honors Al Davis, the late team owner, before the Raiders host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The news was first reported by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
"Marcus is lighting the flame for my father, and it means a lot to me," Mark Davis told this newspaper. "I've known Marcus a long, long time, and we've always been friends."
Allen and Al Davis feuded for many years after the star running back tried to renegotiate his contract before the 1988 season. Allen did not attend the team's minicamps in May. Two months later, he was asked to leave the team's weight room.
Allen, a five-time Pro Bowl selection in his first six seasons, returned to the team the day before the 1989 season started, but his relationship with Davis was never the same.
Allen's playing time was reduced over the next few seasons, and he spoke out in an interview that was aired at halftime of a Monday Night Football game near the end of the 1992 season. He said Davis was trying to ruin the latter part of his career.
Davis responded in a television interview on "NFL Today," calling Allen "a distraction and a cancer to our football team."
Allen soon joined the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played his final five seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.