Raiders drop NFL marketing suit

The Oakland Raiders last week dropped their lawsuit against the NFL regarding marketing of the team's merchandise.

The decision came on the eve of jury selection in state Superior Court in San Jose.

The Raiders originally filed the lawsuit in 1996 against the NFL, NFL Properties, 15 NFL clubs, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and others, regarding disputes involving marketing rights, among other things.

In the last seven years, 20 of the original 22 claims were dismissed, the NFL said in a news release.

"It is highly unusual for a plaintiff that has spent seven years pursuing these claims to simply give up on the eve of the trial," said Jeff Pash, NFL executive vice president and league counsel, in a statement.

Attempts to reach Raiders officials or the team's attorneys for comment were unsuccessful.

A separate Raiders lawsuit, involving allegations by the team that it was fraudulently induced to leave Los Angeles for Oakland in 1995, continues.

— Liz Mullen