KAANAPALI, Hawaii -- NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said Monday he was encouraged about the league's chances of blocking the Oakland Raiders' proposed move to Los Angeles.
Admitting he had trouble sleeping a few months ago because of his worries about the case, Rozelle said at the annual NFL owners' meeting, 'I feel pretty good about it.'
Rozelle said he feels the Raiders have about run out of accusations to make against Rozelle and the league.
Among the charges, the Raiders have accused Rozelle of scalping Super Bowl tickets.
'I can't imagine there'll be anything more,' Rozelle said.
Rozelle said the Raiders have leaked briefs to the media even before they were received by league attorneys. He also said they made many false charges during the case.
The commissioner noted that the Raiders originally said telephone records showed he had 60 conversations with Los Angeles Rams owner Georgia Frontiere, but then later amended the total to 12.
'Many of their claims were made even though their attorneys realized it was highly unlikely they would be accepted as evidence in the case,' Rozelle said.
Admitting that litigation is a 'downer,' Rozelle said the league has already poured $1 million into the suit and is willing to take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rozelle said the legal process could well last over two years, including appeals.
The trial is scheduled to start Monday in Los Angeles, but Rozelle said he wouldn't be surprised if there was another delay.
Rozelle was asked to describe his relationship with Al Davis, managing general partner of the Raiders, who is pressing the move.
'Under the present circumstances, I wouldn't say it's a warm one,' Rozelle said. 'Al likes to be a lone wolf.'
Rozelle also said Davis never came to him in an attempt to help him with negotiations with officials of the Oakland Coliseum to get a better contract there.
Rozelle said he had also scheduled a meeting with officials from the Coliseum in January 1980 in Los Angeles, the day before Super Bowl XIV, but the Coliseum officials cancelled the meeting becasue they told Rozelle Davis would refuse to negotiate with them if they met with the commissioner.
Rozelle said he's been 'very consistent on the point' that there is 'no justification' for any of the 28 teams to move at the present time.
The majority of the 28 teams are making money although Rozelle said there was a 'possibility' that one or two of them were in the red last year. He refused to name any teams, but specified Baltimore was believed to be in the black last year even though the Colts had attendance problems.
The NFL teams do not anticipate any long-term financial problems because they will be negotiating a new television contract after the 1981 season. The currently each receive $5.8 million per year from the networks and ecxpect to escalate that figure to $10 million to $12 million starting in 1982.
Rozelle said the NFL has one other lawsuit on the back burner. The defunct Memphis team of the World Football League filed a suit because the NFL refused to give that team an expansion franchise when the WFL folded. But the case is moving slowly in the courts and is not expected to be a major problem for the league.
