The Oakland Raiders and general manager Reggie McKenzie have done a good job this past offseason of getting rid of some bad contracts and adding talent to a roster that sorely needed, but all that goodwill may be running out now, as the team appears to be back to its old ways after owner Mark Davis fired public relations director Zak Gilbert.
According to SFGate.com, Gilbert was dismissed by Davis after the owner felt unhappy with the he was portrayed in a Sports Illustrated article from April that detailed the 2012 season for the Raiders. McKenzie was brought in to get the team in a better financial situation roster-wise and also to help with the transition on the football side of things after the death of longtime owner Al Davis. The report from SF Gate says that Davis but Gilbert on leave when the article from Jim Trotter came out in April and he hadn't been back to the facility while Davis made a decision about his future. Making matters slightly more interesting is the fact that McKenzie brought Gilbert over after working with him in Green Bay.
McKenzie was brought in from Green Bay as general manager to oversee the Raiders rebuilding process and while he has done a good job of that, the move by Davis shows the sway he holds over the team and the similar attitudes his father had in past years when he was owner. The report said that Davis did not like how his father was portrayed in the article either and that may have been a big factor in the decision to let Gilbert go. Gilbert spent years with the Green Bay Packers as the chief assistant in the PR office from 2001 to 2007 and he was at Colorado State University as director of athletic media relations until 2012 when he was brought in by Reggie McKenzie.
The team has been through some big front office changes over the past year, with CEO Amy Trask resigning after helping the team with its transition after Al Davis passed away and after the firing of Gilbert, Yahoo Sports writer Michael Silver, who is a respected writer about football, heavily criticized Davis and said that he has mismanaged the franchise since taking over for his father. Pro Football Talk also criticized the move by Davis and said that there was no real evidence that Gilbert had anything to do with the tone of the SI article and that the opinion on the Raiders has been widely held in NFL circles for years. Gilbert was hired while the original Davis was still in charge and while McKenzie has done a good job on the football side of things, the Raiders will likely still be the Raiders with Davis in charge.
The team has made a number of moves this offseason, including acquiring Matt Flynn in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks and trading away Carson Palmer to the Arizona Cardinals. The team also signed free agents Kevin Burnett, Nick Roach, Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter as well as bringing back longtime player Charles Woodson and drafting young cornerback DJ Hayden.
Gilbert put out a statement after the decision:
"I'd like to thank Mark Davis for the honor of serving the Raiders, and Reggie McKenzie for hiring me. I leave holding my chin up, knowing I dedicated every waking hour to promoting a positive image for our team. The co-workers in my Raiders family are extraordinary; the camaraderie we built was really special. Talking to Raiders fans on a weekly basis, I learned first-hand that their passion and loyalty is unmatched. I have great respect for the team's rich history and took seriously the role of preserving it. Although disappointed that I can't remain on the ride, I wish Reggie and Dennis Allen absolutely nothing but success in a bright future."
