Silver And Black Pride - All Posts

Amy Trask fierce compassion leaves Raiders with unfillable void

2013-05-25T22:49:30Z

It has been a couple weeks since Trask tendered her resignation from the team she spent the better part of three decades in a passionate obsession. It began in 1982 when she was a student at Cal Berkeley and led to her joining the team's legal department five years later. Her expertise and devotion to Al Davis and the Raiders was fully realized when she was named CEO in 1997.

She was known throughout the league for her toughness and her ardent defense of the team and the owner for whom she held in the highest regard. But during her time as CEO, she used that power to be a force for outreach and compassion in the community that is unmatched.

Her first priority was always the Raiders, but in protecting the Raiders image she found a way to incorporate her passion for community involvement and her deep love for animals. Those efforts were exactly what the Raiders needed to balance out the negative public perception of the team and their fan base.

From the perspective of those who had to cross Trask in legal matters, softness was not a word they would use to describe her. It was her balance of hardnosed business oriented person and compassionate soul that made her so uniquely qualified for her position.

In my experiences with Amy, it became apparent there was no single area (outside of the Raiders) that she held closer to her heart than her love for animals. That love led her to becoming a board member for Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation - a position she will continue to hold even though she has moved on from the Raiders.

Per the Animal Rescue Foundation official website: "ARF saves dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters and brings people and animals together to enrich each others' lives. ARF strives to create a world where every loving dog and cat has a home, where every lonely person has a companion animal, and where children learn to care."

Trask's love for animals showed itself in the regular photo galleries on the team's website "Raider Nation Pet Delegation" which featured pets in Raiders gear as well as Raiders fans with their pets.

Her involvement with ARF also made it an outright impossibility the Raiders would have shown any interest in Mike Vick back in 2009 when he was seeking to re-enter the NFL after a prison sentence for running a dog fighting ring. ARF was one of the primary organizations which rescued many of the dogs from Vick's "Bad News Kennels".

Following Trask's resignation from the Raiders, I reached out to ARF about Trask's involvement and Tony La Russa responded saying: "Amy was and is a pioneer and trail blazer in the NFL and Animal Rescue areas! Her best years are ahead!"

"Trailblazer" is a common term used with regard to Trask because she was the first and only female CEO in NFL history. Her idols were other trailblazers like Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks, and of course Al Davis who helped pave the way for minorities in the NFL, including herself. As the first woman CEO in NFL history, she is a model for young women everywhere. But among her peers it was a constant battle to force them to look past her gender.

Her experiences holding her ground and changing the female perception in the boys club that is the NFL also made her uniquely qualified to fight against the unfairly labeled fan base.

"A big misperception is our fan base," Trask told Sports Business Daily. "There is a misperception that our game-day experience is not appropriate for children or families and nothing could be farther from the truth. Our stadium is filled with babies, children and families and fans of all ages and from all corners of the world. Our fan base is passionate, but passionate does not mean inhospitable."

In changing this "misperception", Trask had a long fight on her hands. Her struggles were made more difficult when, in the almost annual preseason matchup with the 49ers, several violent incidents occurred both in the stadium and in the parking lot after the game. The game was played in San Francisco but just the mere fact that it involved the Raiders, sullied the name of the team once again.

That incident more than any other in recent memory prompted her to connect with an organization called Fans Against Violence to promote a more fun and hospitable environment among fans of opposing teams in the stands as well as the parking lot.

"Amy Trask has been a huge part of bringing Fans Against Violence to where it is today," said Kathy Samoun of Fans Against Violence in an exclusive statement. "We will be forever grateful to her for all she has done to bring our message to the Oakland Raider fans and fans across the country. Her passion, dedication and outreach are unmatched. We look forward to continuing to work with Amy in the future. If you know Amy, you know there is no need to wish her success, she will always be successful... wherever she goes from here."

The common theme among those who speak of Amy Trask is that she may not be with the Raiders any longer but this is by no means the end of her road. She is seen as a person who will be an successful and an asset to whatever organization she joins.

That organization was the Raiders for a quarter century. And she left an indelible mark on the organization as well as a vacancy that can never be filled. I have a feeling we will see her crop up again very soon. But first, a nice vacation may be in order.

Follow @LeviDamien

NFL cooking up Richard Seymour a hot plate of humble pie

2013-05-25T01:20:25Z

Just last season, Richard Seymour was one of the highest paid defensive linemen in the NFL. He had been one of the highest paid for a number of years and at one time perhaps he deserved it.

Those days are gone for Seymour. They actually lasted longer than they should have because of the hefty contract he received from the Raiders when he was acquired in trade with the New England Patriots where he hadn't made a Pro Bowl in three seasons.

When he arrived in Oakland, he was already on a downturn but was still considered among the best defensive linemen in the game. The problem was, there was no way he would still be worth his contract by the time it was up and so his eventual release was inevitable.

In last year's training camp Seymour was seen standing on the sideline more than he was actually practicing. In previous seasons, he was among the veterans who got regular days off practice but last year on top of those days, he was also battling chronic knee pain.

Midway through camp, Myself and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke with Seymour. At the time, the hot story was about how he said he thought the Raiders could be a top 5 defense and he even used the Patriots as an example of how a defense could be underestimated.

Not only was the Raiders defense just as bad, if not worse than expected, but Seymour was ineffective with those bad knees the first half of the season before being sidelined for the latter half.

But it wasn't Seymour's controversial prediction that stuck with me from that conversation.

The part of that conversation that I couldn't really stop thinking about was when Vic asked him about being the highest paid defensive lineman in the league. He insisted that he was no longer the highest paid player, citing Julius Peppers and Mario Williams as having surpassed him.

Then he joked that "I need to load back up (laughs)... The guys came and took my throne away.... I'm looking to get back, yeah." I understood it as a joke and didn't make anything of it, but something still seemed unsettling about a player, especially one nearing the final years of his career, focusing so heavily on who is making more money than he is.

Now 33, if he were to still be under contract with the Raiders, he would again be the highest paid defensive lineman. His salary against the cap was set at $19 million. The Raiders had put a playing time clause in his contract that would give them the option to void it while taking a $13 million bath and they exercised it. Not that they had much choice, that is still a much needed $6 million savings.

It is about nine months since he joked about being the highest paid defensive lineman and over four months since his contract was voided and remains unemployed.

Then this week, for the first time, news came out of him visiting the Falcons. Seymour lives near Atlanta in the offseason so Initially it seemed his becoming a Falcon was going to happen. However, shortly thereafter things broke down and word is they couldn't agree on financial details.

There are likely two things at work here and they are both classic Richard Seymour. 1) He simply wants too much money. 2) He doesn't want to sign with a team until OTA's and minicamps are over so he won't be required to show up and practice. Most likely it's a combination of the two

The humble pie is bubbling and he will be served it soon enough. He has to realize he is not the player he once was both due to age and injury and he will have to be content with the gobs of cash he has already made in his career (even when he was undeserving) because it's that or forced retirement from football.

Charles Woodson says he will enter Hall of Fame as Raider

2013-05-24T22:08:36Z

The Pro Football Hall of Fame isn't like the Baseball Hall of Fame in which a player must choose a team to identify himself with when being enshrined. But Charles Woodson told a radio station in Milwaukee Wisconsin Friday morning that when it comes his time to be enshrined in those hallowed halls in Canton, his intention is to go in as a Raider.

"I'm an Oakland Raider now. That's kind of the way I look at it," said Woodson when asked whether he would enter the Hall of Fame as a Packer or a Raider. "My whole plan was... to retire a Green Bay Packer. There was no thought of me ever leaving the Green Bay Packers. Life throws curve balls sometimes and you gotta take the plate. So, now I'm back with the Oakland Raiders and I don't foresee myself playing for any other team after that. If I play this year, maybe play next year, who knows, when it comes that time, I'm going probably with the last team I played for."

Woodson received a one-year deal from the Raiders. He will turn 37 in October when most NFL careers are long over. Injuries have piled up for him the past few seasons, most notably having broken his collarbone twice, including last season which cost him nine games.

The switch to safety last was made to try and prolong his career but safeties are asked to do more hitting and tackling than corners so the injury questions will continue. As he said, he would like to play more than one season and his health will play a large part in whether he will be able to do so.

"I see myself coming in and making an impact. There's a lot of talk about me as a player and now I can't do this, can't do that, but I don't see it that way and maybe I delusional but I don't think so. I look at myself coming in and making an impact, making a lot of plays."

The hope for the Raiders is to get at least one good season out of him. His base salary is a very manageable $1.38 million with playing time incentives that max out at $4 million. This protects the Raiders should Woodson not finish the season.

Even without taking a snap, Woodson has already played more season in Oakland (8) than in Green Bay (7) and would retire in Oakland as well. He had plenty of playoff success with both team including trips to the Super Bowl as a Raider and as a Packer. He was finally able to get his ring as a Packer two seasons ago.

The one big difference is what uniform he will be wearing when the music stops. And at this point, it looks to be his old/new #24 Raiders jersey.

Follow @LeviDamien

Trey Wingo appears on Bay Area radio to clarify his comments on Raiders, Woodson rally

2013-05-24T19:53:52Z

Thursday, we reported here on S&BP the comments that were made by Trey Wingo on his weekday ESPN program NFL Live in which he suggested the Raiders had orchestrated the rally at Raiders headquarters on Tuesday to greet Charles Woodson on his visit with the team.

Within hours of the story's release, the producers of Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game had caught wind of the fan reaction to Wingo's comments and scheduled Wingo to appear on the show.

Here is the transcript of that conversation:

Mark Kreidler: Your reaction to the venom coming from Raiders fans. You said you're baffled by the reaction?

Trey Wingo: Yeah, I literally had no idea what was going on until John, your producer -- who I knew from his days back in St Louis -- called me and told me about it, so it took me by complete surprise.

Kreidler: You've probably tracked this down by now but there was the Silver & Black Pride blog yesterday wrote this said ‘News of the rally staged at Raiders headquarters to greet Charles Woodson upon his arrival to meet with the team has been widely reported. Every news outlet recognized Raider fans as mobilizing to show Woodson they wanted him back but not Trey Wingo and ESPN.' Again I'm just reading here from Silver & Black Pride. You're quoted here as saying ‘Raiders put out a social media campaign to have all the fans show up at the facility welcoming him back' end quote. Raider fans see this as you saying the fans didn't do it, it was staged by the team and fans are feeling like you're disrespecting their efforts.

Wingo: Well, let me just say this; they're absolutely right, it was done by the fans, and I meant to say Raider fans, I just didn't say ‘fans'. So, I totally get it, but I gotta be honest with you, the fact that they felt slighted I don't quite understand, but that's fine, I didn't say it the right way. I left out that one word. But we were not trying to slight anybody. The reason we brought it up is we thought it was awesome that they mobilized and did this, that was the whole point of even having it as part of the show. The topic was, in our hot read segment, it was just me and Adam (Schefter) on what we call the debate set there and the debate was ‘where's he gonna go? Is Charles Woodson gonna go to Denver or is he gonna go back to the Raiders' and Adam was saying ‘Probably if he's looking for another ring, it's probably a better bet, with the team the Broncos have, to go to Denver, but a lot of sentiment is going for the idea of going back to the Raiders where, not only was he a first round pick in the draft but also he knows Reggie McKenzie from their days together up in Green Bay' and I said ‘yeah, that's great what they've done' and I meant to say ‘Raider fans' and it just came out ‘Raiders' and that's all it was.

Dan Dibley: I have absolutely no problem with any of that and I'm not 100% sure of why it was as big of a deal as it was.

Wingo: That makes two of us

Kreidler: I do understand, but I can understand Raider fans are ridiculed a lot and when they went and organized something organically and it sounds like someone is saying maybe the team put them up to that, I can see how they're upset. I can understand what Trey is saying, but I can understand how fans are upset.

Dibley: I guess what I'm saying is, and Trey I'm not putting words in your mouth, that sometimes you generalize and say Raiders and you mean all of the Raiders, not the Raiders front office...

Wingo: No, absolutely, Raider ‘Nation'

Dibley: Do you think [the rally] made any difference?

Wingo: I think it did actually. And what I have to think once the Raiders front office slash team, not Raiders slash Nation slash fans, found out about it I'm sure they were like ‘This is the greatest thing in the world' you know. I absolutely think it meant something and I think that it shows the passion that Raiders fans have. We've said this a million times on NFL Live and nobody ever wants to believe us; The NFL's a better product when the Raiders are relevant. They are. It's a better deal. Because of the history of that franchise and the history that it brings with the three championships. It's been a rough go since Super Bowl... well, since really the AFC Championship game that year, since Super Bowl XXXVII, and the NFL is a better product coast to coast when the Raiders are relevant and recently they haven't been and it's been a real problem.

Were you surprised he chose Oakland over Denver?

Wingo: Well, a little bit but I guess the thing is what doesn't motivate him that sometimes is chasing the ring. He has the ring. He got that a couple years ago in Green Bay. I thought it would be perfect fit for him in Denver simply because obviously we saw what happened with their secondary last year in the post season and that team I think is going to be really, really good. They may not win 13 games again but I think the Broncos with the additions they've had on offense and quite frankly some of the (defense) -- even though the lost Dumervil on Defense, they're gonna be a very balanced team. So, I really thought that for a chance to go and maybe get that second ring or have the opportunity that Denver would be the best place for him but clearly he has emotional ties to the Raiders and what it was like to be there and I'm sure as a lot of people do and our own Eric Allen still to this day feel unfinished business from the tuck rule game, there's something to go back there for. So, obviously it meant something to him and I think the rally was a big part of that.

Kreidler: I just want to clarify, this piece that I'm reading from, Silver and Black Pride by Levi Damien. Another quote from you attributed to you here ‘Raiders put the full home court press on him including having fans lining up at the facility to greet him and stay there until he signed the deal. Raiders obviously pulling at his heart strings'. But some see that as you saying Raiders orchestrated the whole thing, you're saying that's not at all what you're saying, right Trey?

Wingo: No, no exactly. And even if they did, that's not a bad thing if the Raiders had done that. There's no downside to this whatsoever. We thought it was great, that's the only reason we mentioned it."

Kreidler: Well, there's a downside if you're one of the fans who - I understand what you're saying - but I understand if I'm one of the fans who organized this and I have someone saying ‘hey, we're not getting credit for this, they're saying the organization put us up to that' again I can see how some fans would feel slighted if that's how they interpreted what you were saying.

Wingo: Believe me, not my intention at all, 100%. Look, one of the things that makes the Raiders great is the passion of their fanbase. It really is. And I think that played a big part in getting him back there.

To hear the audio of the entire interview, click here

Follow @LeviDamien

Tim Brown inducted into Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

2013-05-24T08:59:27Z

Raiders great, Tim Brown, has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the past three years and has fallen short each time. In the meantime he has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and can now add Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame to that list.

"Initially, I'm like, ‘OK. All right,'because at that time I was waiting to see about the Pro Football Hall of Fame." Brown told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. "But somebody who is a baseball fan said, ‘Dude, you're going to be in a friggin' Hall of Fame with Willie Mays." I'm like, ‘Whoa.' It just sort of changed the whole perspective of what this is about. This is not a football Hall of Fame, this is a Bay Area sports deal. And from that standpoint, we really started to look forward to this night."

Known as "Mr Raider", Tim Brown was the greatest Raiders receiver since the days when Fred Biletnikoff suited up in Silver and Black in the 70's. And while he was setting records for the Raiders in the 90's and 00's, Biletnikoff was his position coach. In fact, there was only two of Brown's 16-year career (88, 04) he wasn't coached by Biletnikoff and only three of Biletnikoff's 18-year NFL coaching career (04-06) he didn't have Brown to coach. So, it was only right that it was Biletnikoff who presented him at the ceremony.

"To me, it was the only choice. Freddy was, what did I play, 15-16 years with the Raiders, and he saw the whole maturation process," Brown said. "From struggling coming off my knee injury to being just happy be on the field to wanting to play hard to more to starting to making Pro Bowls and until the end of the 16 years.

"From that standpoint, I needed him to be part of the ceremony tonight. Whatever he's going to say, he's going to say because it's not or ever was about his words. It's just about him being part of the ceremony."

"Watching Tim play for all those years was amazing," Biletnikoff said in his induction speech. "I could never be so proud."

It may not be the all-important Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it is a Hall of Fame and an accomplishment none the less. Perhaps when he has been inducted into every other Hall of Fame, he will finally break through into Canton.

Follow @LeviDamien

ESPN claiming Raiders (not fans) orchestrated Charles Woodson rally

2013-05-23T19:09:51Z

The news of the rally staged at Raiders headquarters to greet Charles Woodson upon his arrival to meet with the team has been widely reported. Every news outlet, including NFL.com, has recognized the Raiders fans as mobilizing to show Charles Woodson they wanted him back. But not Trey Wingo and ESPN.

On NFL Live on Tuesday - the day he was to visit --Wingo said that he sees this as an inside job.

"Raiders put out a social media campaign to have all the fans show up at the facility welcoming him back," said Wingo.

In response, ESPN's Adam Schefter echoed the statement, saying "Reggie McKenzie knows just the buttons to push with Charles Woodson."

The next day on the show, it was more of the same from Wingo.

"Raiders put the full home court press on him including having fans lining up at the facility to greet him and stayed there until he officially signed the deal," said Wingo. "The Raiders obviously pulling at his heart strings, GM Reggie McKenzie knew him from their days in Green Bay."

The Raiders weren't "having the fans" do anything. The Raiders organization had nothing to do with it. It wouldn't take much research to figure out the Raiders didn't put out a single tweet or any such social media statement asking for fans to show up. This was all done by the fans.

This was chronicled on S&BP in which the event page and the first such tweet was posted asking fans to show up at the facility. The story was picked up by NFL.com as well as several other media organizations -- who were also retweeting fan requests to generate a presence to welcome Woodson.

Here is what NFL.com's Marc Sessler said of the fan generated gathering:

"Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admit: Oakland Raiders fans have passion. They're hoping it will make a difference in the pursuit of Charles Woodson... the free-agent defensive back is scheduled to meet with Oakland on Tuesday, per Woodson's agent, Carl Poston. In anticipation of that visit, Raiders faithful have started an online campaign to gather en masse at team headquarters."

Read the entire article here.

None of this convinced Wingo and his cohorts.

Either Trey Wingo and ESPN don't know what Google is or they are suggesting the "fans" who were working hard to spread the word are somehow actually people within the Raiders organization posing as fans.

I would suggest the Raider Nation take to social media once again to get Wingo to acknowledge his mistake (respectfully). His Twitter handle is @Wingoz. That's seems the most appropriate way for him to get the idea.

UPDATE:

Raiders fans once again took to social media to get something done. Trey Wingo appeared on the Raiders flagship radio station, 95.7 The Game and apologized for his gaffe.

Re #raiders fans, @wingoz says he meant to credit them, but didn't. Just a bobble. "We brought it up b/c we thought it was cool."
— Mark Kreidler (@MarkKreidler) May 24, 2013

Read exactly what Wingo had to say on 95.7 The Game here

Follow @LeviDamien

Raiders restructure Matt Flynn contract

2013-05-23T18:21:45Z

Following the addition of Charles Woodson and his $1.38 million base salary, the Raiders have restructured Matt Flynn's contract to save $1 million off the 2013 salary cap according to Ian Rappoport.

#Raiders restructured QB Matt Flynn's deal to convert much of his $3.25M base salary to a signing bonus. Creates cap room. #Math coming...
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2013

Why would the #Raiders need cap room? Well… They had just $179,987 available as of this morning. And draft picks to sign.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2013

#Raiders saved about $1 million with the Matt Flynn restructure. Add that to the $179,987 cap room they had… and now they have more #Math
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2013

This saves money now and shifts that money to next year when the Raiders are set to have around $50 million to spend under the cap.

Whether this is really about signing draft picks is debatable. The team will also get another $8 million after June 1st when Michael Huff's dead money prorates and there is no rush to sign their picks now. The team didn't sign their draft picks until July last year.

Follow @LeviDamien

Charles Woodson determined to wear number 24 for Raiders

2013-05-23T02:49:48Z

When Charles Woodson arrived at Raiders HQ on Tuesday to make his visit, he was greeted by hundreds of fans. Many of them were wearing Woodson's #24 jersey from his first stint as a Raider. When Woodson greeted fans he held up a kid-size replica #24. It's obvious that both Woodson and the fan base have an emotional attachment to that number. The only question is, will Woodson wear it again as a Raider?

Currently that number is taken by another cornerback free agent acquistion -- Tracy Porter. During his conference call today with our fearless leader Levi Damien, Woodson had this to say about the idea of trying to talk Porter out of his former jersey number:

"We'll definitely have to have that conversation," said Woodson. "We haven't had it yet. Raider Nation has me back but I don't know if they'll have me back without the 24 on my back."

The number 24 is also very well known among Raiders fans as having been the number of Hall of Famer, Willie Brown who has been a defensive assistant with the Raiders for many years, including Woodson's first eight years on the team.

"It had been a while since I had seen Willie Brown," Woodson continued. "He is one of my favorite people ever. It was great to see him and give him a big hug. We always joke about who the real 24 is. It was good to have that bark and forth with him. Getting the deal done and calling him and saying, 'Willie Brown, I'm coming back. The real 2-4 is coming back."

It's pretty obvious that Woodson wants to be in the 24 jersey and is determined to get it. He knows it's inexorably entwined with his identity as a Raider at this point. The only thing standing in the way is Tracy Porter and whatever he demands in return for exchanging jersey numbers. Money? A gold Rolex? A lifetime supply of Nutter Butters? It remains to be seen.

From the sounds of it, I will be able to dust off my own #24 Woodson jersey that resides in the darkest reaches of my closet. Get yours ready or if you've grown taller (or wider) since you last wore it, buy a new one! I'm sure the new Woodson Raiders jersey will be a very hot seller this season.