Carolina’s Richardson Testifies in Raider Case

Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers, testified Monday that Los Angeles would be better off with no NFL team than one that struggles at the gate.

As the Oakland Raiders’ $1-billion lawsuit against the league began its second week, Richardson provided testimony intended by the team to bolster its claim that the league wanted it out of L.A. and that the Raiders were cut out of key negotiations in 1995 involving plans to build a $250-million stadium at Hollywood Park.

In testimony at odds with that delivered last week by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who said Raider owner Al Davis would have welcomed a second team playing at the Hollywood Park site, Richardson said Davis assuredly did not want a second team there. Perhaps, Richardson said, Tagliabue had “the benefit of some information I did not have.”

Under questioning by Raider attorney Joseph Alioto, Richardson failed to recall a number of significant dates, figures and events in connection with the Hollywood Park deal.

Later, however, when the questions were being asked by NFL attorney James A. Keyte, Richardson’s memory seemed to improve considerably. For instance, he was able to recall that a call from Davis about financing possibilities at Hollywood Park came on “a Saturday morning,” that the Panthers are allocated 650 to 740 tickets each year to the Super Bowl and that the personal seat license plan for Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte yielded $11 million in state taxes, $40 million in federal taxes and $100 million for stadium construction.

League attorneys sought to use Richardson’s testimony to undercut the Raiders’ claim of a league plan to force the team back to Oakland. The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 through 1994.

As the day’s final question, Keyte asked, “What do you think of Mr. Davis’ claim that you were part of a scheme to force them back to Oakland?”

Richardson replied, “I would say it’s bizarre.”