Mark Davis (American football)
| Mark Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954/1955 (age 61–62) Charleston, South Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | California State University, Chico |
| Occupation | Professional sports owner |
| Known for | Owner of the Oakland Raiders |
| Net worth |
 US$500 million dollars(October 2015) |
Mark Davis (born 1954 or 1955) is the principal owner and managing general partner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL).
Prior to owning the team Davis was involved in the retail part of the Raider's business where he helped develop the organization's Raider Image stores. He also spent time in the Raiders equipment department where he developed the muff-style hand warmer for football. In 1980, Davis then age 25 represented Raiders player Cliff Branch in contract negotiations with the team and his father Al which resulted in a deal that included an annuity that still today pays Branch and got Mark kicked out of his father's house for being too close to the players. He later lived with Branch when the team moved to Los Angeles.
Davis inherited the team after the death of his father, Al, in 2011. Davis with his mother, Carol, owns a 47 percent share of the Raiders, which is contractually structured to give them controlling interest. Davis has day-to-day control of the team.
Davis gained control of the team towards the end of the Raiders lease with the O.co Coliseum a facility that dates back to 1965 and has multiple issues due to its age. It is also the only stadium which still houses an NFL and an MLB team at the same time.
In his short ownership of the Raiders, Davis has been known for a hands-off approach to the football side of the operations, focusing on the business aspects of the team by appointing Reggie McKenzie as general manager. This form of management is in stark contrast to his father who, up to his death, had control of both the business and football sides of the team.
In 2013, Davis fired the Raiders public relations director because of a Sports Illustrated article that was critical of Davis' father. Davis stated that the director's replacement needed to understand the importance of his father's legacy and actively protect it.
Davis spoke out publicly on the issue of domestic violence in the NFL, following San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald's arrest on August 31, 2014. Davis disagreed with Jed York's decision to keep McDonald on the active roster, proposing that the league should suspend any player arrested with pay while "the investigation moves forward" This was the first proposal of this kind following the Ray Rice assault video surfacing, that specifically called for an immediate suspension of players rather than leaving the decision to suspend up to the respective franchises themselves. In March 2015, Davis again went public on the issue of domestic violence, shutting down rumors that the Raiders' started negotiations with Greg Hardy, who was convicted on domestic abuse charges earlier that year. The Raiders' organization has traditionally been vocal about domestic violence issues, with direct involvement with the Tracey Biletnikoff Foundation, created by Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff to support community substance abuse treatment and domestic violence programs.
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