ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Raiders Owner Al Davis "has received a formal letter from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informing him the franchise is subject to penalties for the public accusation of tampering" against the Patriots. NFL sources said that the punishment "could range from a substantial fine -- $250,000 or more -- to docking the Raiders one or more draft picks, or both" ( ESPN.com, 10/9 ). Former Raiders Senior Personnel Exec Michael Lombardi, when asked if the Patriots tampered with WR Randy Moss while he was a member of the Raiders, said "absolutely not." Lombardi added Davis "accused me of telling (Patriots coach) Bill Belichick that Randy Moss could still run." Lombardi: "We were trying to trade Randy Moss. Bill Belichick needs to know he can still run, that he has some value" ( "Inside the NFL," Showtime, 10/8 ). HAMMERED BY CRISIS : In London, Jeremy Wilson reports "pressure was mounting" on English Premier League (EPL) club West Ham United Owner Björgólfur Guðmundsson "after questions were raised in Iceland about the possibility of freezing the overseas assets of some of the country's top businessmen." It is "known the [EPL is] monitoring the situation closely." Guðmundsson is estimated to have lost US$396.2M following the nationalisation this week of Landsbanki, the Iceland-based bank for which Guðmundsson was Chair ( London TELEGRAPH, 10/10 ). In Manchester, Andy Martin notes West Ham's parent company, WH Holdings, is registered in the U.K. and the club "will be confident that it will not be affected by either the Icelandic or British government's actions." But "it is understood that West Ham owe millions of pounds to a syndicate of five banks, some of which are believed to be Icelandic" ( Manchester GUARDIAN, 10/10 ). PAYBACK TIME : In Detroit, Nicholas Cotsonika reported an arbitrator has ruled former NFLer Charles Rogers "owes the Lions reportedly about $8.5[M] because violating the NFL's substance abuse policy put him in default of his contract." Rogers received a $14M signing bonus from the Lions in '03, but his contract "included a clause that said if Rogers was suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, he would have to pay back the bonus prorated for the rest of the contract." The Lions sought $10.184M of the bonus ( FREEP.com, 10/9 ). FULL-COURT PRESS : Former Mavericks investor David McDavid's attorney Mickey Mixson said that officials at TBS "wrongfully reneged on an agreement to sell" McDavid the Hawks and Thrashers. Mixson in Fulton County (GA) Superior Court said that TBS told him "three times in mid-2003 that 'we have a deal'" to sell the Hawks and Thrashers for $215M. But TBS lawyers said that "there was no written agreement spelling out the terms of McDavid's purchase of the franchises and Philips Arena" ( BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/9 ).
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