With the recent passing of Oakland Raiders’ owner and NFL pioneer, Al Davis the Radiers are certainly strategizing on what the next generation of leadership for the organization will look like. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mr. Davis’ son Mark has been getting advice from former members of the Raiders family, including former Raiders coach and video game icon, John Madden.
John Madden and Al Davis’ relationship was a close, long standing one. Davis had mentioned bringing Madden back before and now as Mark Davis looks to carry on his father’s legacy, Madden’s return might be even more conceivable. And given their close relationship, the notion isn’t very far-fetched.
From ESPN.com:
“You knew he was having problems but he was better that week than he was the week before,” Madden told The Times. “He had trouble speaking and drinking. But it’s Al Davis and he’d fight it. His mother lived to be more than 100 and I thought he’d fight and live to be 100.”
Madden, who told The Times that he spoke to Davis the night before his death, said he considered the combative and mercurial owner “family.”
“He was my best friend,” Madden told The Times. “If I had one call to make, if I needed anything, the call would be to Al Davis. I lost the one-call guy, the mentor, the father, the best friend.”
The Raiders can’t make any moves on new GM’s until the end of the season and it will be interesting to see if Madden rejoins the Silver and Black in some capacity.
