The Greg Papa era with the Raiders lasted more than two decades, but last week it came to a rather ungracious end.
Rumors had been swirling around the Raiders well-known radio voice since the end of the 2017 season and while most were prepared for a split to eventually happen, not many expected to see it happen so quickly.
Papa hasn’t spoken on the news, but will surely share his thoughts when he returns to his 95.7 The Game program on Monday. Until then, this is what we know about how the relationship unraveled…
1 – Mark Davis didn’t have much of a relationship with Papa.
Jerry McDonald of the Mercury News did an excellent story on the wedge that grew between Papa and the Raiders owner, suggesting that Davis “resented” the team’s radio voice after a handful of incidents over the years.
Davis may not be his father, but he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his stubborn streak. The younger Davis did, after all, once fire his head of public relations over a Sports Illustrated story that wasn’t to his liking.
2 – Greg Papa was one of the last Al Davis loyalists still in the Raiders building.
Mark Davis ran Amy Trask out of town in 2013 and the old guard is essentially dead with Papa’s departure. Trask, on several occasions, has stopped just short of directly criticizing the younger Davis. We’ll see if Papa holds back in the same manner.
3 – Brent Musburger is a legend, but he isn’t an upgrade over Papa.
Obviously that’s just opinion, but Papa’s voice has become synonymous with the Raiders for a generation of fans and Papa, in his own right, is a legend at what he does.
That said, Musburger should embody the Raiders well in Las Vegas. Whether they’ll admit it or not, the Raiders are rebranding themselves in Vegas and Musburger will be a good fit.
4 – Mark Davis continues to mold the new-look Raiders.
A story in The Athletic on Sunday talked about the way Davis has given himself considerably more input into the organization since 2014.
Davis couldn’t just show up after his father passed and start throwing people out of the building. He learned his way around and now his fingerprint is all over the organization – even to the extent of what they’ll sound like on the radio.
For what it’s worth, this poll went up on Twitter last week and it was interesting to see how many fans don’t particularly care who is calling games.
POLL: #Raiders replacing Greg Papa with Brent Musburger w/be…
— Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) July 18, 2018
Papa returns from vacation to his 95.7 The Game radio show at 12:00 PT today. Unless you have a very important round of golf on your schedule (raises hand), this won’t be an afternoon to miss.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Sad day to see such a Legend move on.
Players all know about loyalty and it isn’t guaranteed.
Just like in the Godfather, the new Don Corleone is making his moves.
I just don’t like the way he is doing it.
Put unselfish in his shoes.
I think he’s bringing back the Raiders of old. The ones that wrote the nfl rule book
Yourself
This, to me, is the final nail in the coffin as far as my loyalty to the Raiders goes. Firing the best sportscaster in the Bay Area, and one of the best in the country, is just another example of how Mark Davis is abandoning Oakland, its tradition and its fans, for the’ greener pastures’ – despite it being a desert – in Las Vegas.
As far as I’m concerned, these are the Vegas Traitors from here on, merely renting space until they can flee to Sin City. As for all the Raider fans that will follow the Raiders even if they moved to Russia, I say, ‘More power to you’. As for me, though, I’m done with them!
Go Niners!
Click bait
Everyone loved Papa, NO ONE likes Mark Davis. Coincidence?
Papa said on a Mercury-News podcast with former columnist Tim Kawakami that he told Mark Davis that if Shanahan was hired by the Raiders, he d resign.