David Rosenthal

So Tex approaches Lamar in early 1966, says, hey, I'm the emissary of the NFL.

You know, Roselle sent me...

I'm here to talk merger, but we got to keep this under wraps because before it gets out, then like all hell's going to break loose.

So they start working, discussing.

There are no notes.

There's no written notes.

It's just like them chatting with each other for a couple months.

As they start, the other owners don't know about it.

Yes.

Very delicate situation.

And especially as the war and the TV money start escalating between the leagues, the AFL owners, they decide we need somebody who's going to kick some ass for us.

They draft fellow owner, head coach, GM of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, to become the new commissioner of the AFL.

There's a quote about him in America's Game.

Outside of Oakland, it was not certain where Al Davis would finish in a popularity contest among Sharks, the Mumps, the Income Tax, and himself.

If the voters were the other American League football coaches, Davis would probably be third, edging out the Income Tax in a thriller.

You can't trust Al Davis any further than you can throw him.

And he is the perfect new head of the AFL in this war.

They don't let him know about the merger negotiations.

They don't actually want him to negotiate.

They just want him to start a war and improve their negotiating leverage.