The latest story from senior writer Tim Keown is an in-depth profile of Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis. “Just live up to your dad’s name and solve the NFL’s L.A. problem, baby!” already has generated more than 773,000 page views online and is also featured in ESPN The Magazine’s debut “Owners Issue,” currently on newsstands.
Keown shares details of his encounters with the quirky NFL owner and discusses the reaction he has received to the story.
How were you able to secure such great access to Mark Davis?
I started where I thought I would find him: P.F. Chang’s. I staked him out there twice, and he didn’t show either time. I had conversations with the bartenders, who agreed to tack my name and number behind the bar and give it to him when he came in. In the meantime, I had a training camp conversation with fullback Marcel Reece, one of Mark’s good friends and his regular dining partner at Hooters when the two hit up all-you-can-eat wings night. I gave Marcel an idea of what I wanted to do and he spoke to Mark about it.
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What is your perspective on the feedback since your story has posted?
Judging from the positive response to the story, it did what I wanted it to do: present a more complete picture of Mark Davis. He’s been almost a caricature throughout his public life, with people unable to see beyond the haircut and the quirks. There’s a lot more to him than that.
He’s bright, curious and good company. He has a big job: perpetuating and repairing an image that his legendary father [the late Al Davis] left behind. There’s a lot wrapped up in that, and he’s walking a tightrope between changing the culture of the franchise and remaining loyal to his father’s legacy. He’s been remarkably deft in public.
He has said all the right things about staying in Oakland and he took the lead in challenging the league’s stance on domestic violence. And now he’s staring down one of the most stressful and complicated issues an owner can face: franchise relocation. Most Raider fans and readers appreciate the fact that Mark has not changed since he took over the team. They’d feel betrayed if he started driving around in a Bentley instead of his ’97 Caravan.
Is there an anecdote or anything that didn’t make the final version that you’d like to share?
When Mark and I were at dinner, I mentioned that I had borderline stalked him at P.F. Chang’s, going so far as to leave my name and number behind the bar. He laughed and said, “It was on a blue slip of paper. I still have it.”
