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Brown, Rice Suspect Callahan Of Sabotage In Super Bowl XXXVII

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Tim Brown suspects former Oakland Raiders head coach Bill Callahan of sabotaging Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003.

The Raiders lost the game 48-21 to Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Callahan switched the Raiders' gameplan from a run attack to pass.

"We all called it sabotage ... because Callahan and Gruden were good friends," Brown said. "And Callahan had a big problem with the Raiders, you know, hated the Raiders. You know, only came because Gruden made him come. Literally walked off the field on us a couple of times during the season when he first got there, the first couple years. So really he had become someone who was part of the staff but we just didn't pay him any attention. Gruden leaves, he becomes the head coach. ... It's hard to say that the guy sabotaged the Super Bowl. You know, can you really say that? That can be my opinion, but I can't say for a fact that that's what his plan was, to sabotage the Super Bowl. ... That's hard to say, because you can't prove it."

Brown said the late change by Callahan affect center Barret Robinson who ended up not playing in the game.

Jerry Rice has come forward in agreement with Brown.

“For some reason — and I don’t know why — Bill Callahan did not like me,” Rice said. “In a way, maybe because he didn’t like the Raiders, he decided, ‘Maybe we should sabotage this a little bit and let Jon Gruden go out and win this one.’”

Rice said he understands the magnitude of the accusation.

Bill Callahan denies allegations

Former Oakland coach Bill Callahan denied allegations made by two of his former players that he "sabotaged" the Raiders in their Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay 10 years ago and said he tried to win the game and suggestions to the contrary were "ludicrous and defamatory."

Former Raiders receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice both said in recent interviews they believe Callahan undermined his own team in the Super Bowl in 2003 because of his close friendship with Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden by altering the game plan less than two days before Oakland's 48-21 loss.

"While I fully understand a competitive professional football player's disappointment when a game's outcome doesn't go his team's way, I am shocked, saddened and outraged by Tim Brown's allegations and Jerry Rice's support of those allegations made through various media outlets over the last 24 hours," Callahan said Tuesday in a statement. "To leave no doubt, I categorically and unequivocally deny the sum and substance of their allegations."

Callahan called on the allegations against him to be taken back.

"Any suggestion that I would undermine the integrity of the sport that I love and dedicated my life to, or dishonor the commitment I made to our players, coaches and fans is flat out wrong," he said. "I think it would be in the best interests of all, including the game America loves, that these allegations be retracted immediately."

bigrich88 wrote:I can understand that Callahan had differences with the Raiders organization but I have very strong doubts that he intentionally "sabatoged" the Super Bowl. If he hated the Raiders as much as Brown claimed why even lead them to the Super Bowl? If that was the case he just would have tanked the whole season instead. I agree with the players who came out and said the change in game plan had more to do with Robbins disappearance then his supposed disdain for the Raiders.

Da Schwab wrote:I'd find it pretty hard to believe that any coach on an Al Davis owned team would have gotten away with this.

Carmelofan wrote:

bigrich88 wrote:I can understand that Callahan had differences with the Raiders organization but I have very strong doubts that he intentionally "sabatoged" the Super Bowl. If he hated the Raiders as much as Brown claimed why even lead them to the Super Bowl? If that was the case he just would have tanked the whole season instead. I agree with the players who came out and said the change in game plan had more to do with Robbins disappearance then his supposed disdain for the Raiders.

That's a good point. I think gruden being the former coach of the raiders had more to do with oakland's loss than anything. Kind of like how the 2007 nelly-led we believe warriors pulled off the biggest upset in nba playoff history against the 67 win mavs/don nelson's former team.

Da Schwab wrote:I'm pretty sure this is just Tim Brown just being old and bitter.

Callahan switched the Raiders' gameplan from a run attack to pass.

Welfare Fraud wrote:

Callahan switched the Raiders' gameplan from a run attack to pass.

Wasn't that Raiders' team pass heavy (and good at it) to begin with?

Da Schwab wrote:That's what I thought I remembered.

Didn't Rich Gannon break a bunch of records that year, or at least come close?

"We get our game plan for victory on Monday, and the game plan says we're gonna run the ball," Brown told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "We averaged 340 (pounds) on the offensive line, they averaged 280 (on the defensive line). We're all happy with that, everybody is excited."