Raiders managing general partner Al Davis heeded the warnings of his physicians and did not make the trip to Tampa for today's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raiders executive John Herrera confirmed.
Davis, Herrera said, contemplated arranging for a private flight but listened to doctors who didn't want Davis to impede his recovery from swelling in his right knee and ankle.
"The doctors told him it's probably not the best thing to spend 10 or 12 hours in the air," Herrera said, referring to the round trip from Oakland to Tampa.
Herrera said he believes the only time Davis ever missed a game was when his wife, Carole, was hospitalized in 1979 after a heart attack. Davis moved into the hospital for more than two weeks until she came out of a coma and recovered.
Other than that, Davis is not believed to have missed a Raiders game since joining the organization in 1963.
After the Raiders' Dec. 4 game at San Diego, Davis had a brief hospital stay for what team officials said was a fall. He attended games on Dec. 14 and 21, arriving in a medical van with a lift gate and using a wheelchair rather than the walker he has used in recent years.
Herrera said Davis is fine and in good spirits.
"I can't emphasize this enough: He's feeling good," Herrera said. "He wanted to make the trip and expected to make the trip, but the decision was made that it was not a good idea because of his knee and ankle. ... He was a little ticked off that he didn't make the trip, but he knew he'd better listen to what the doctor said."
Staff writer Steve Corkran contributed to this story. Contact Jerry McDonald at jmcdonald@bayareanewsgroup.com
