Silver took over for long-time commissioner David Stern. In the U.S., professional athletes and coaches are famous for having every detail of their salaries released to the public. In 1969, the final year of the independent AFL, Professional Football's first "wild card" playoffs were conducted. The N.F.L. Back in April 2020, theleague sent out a memo noting that Goodell was going to take a zero dollar salary due to the pandemic, but that gesture might ring hollow to league employees who now know that he made $63.9 million in a year where they were asked to take a pay cut that ranged from 5% to 15%. Executive General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy: Tanya HoschMs. From November 2020, the portfolio was expanded to now oversee marketing, digital media including the AFLs website (afl.com.au) and app, Marvel Stadium operations and the customer and fan experience. Was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer in 2008 with responsibility for AFL broadcasting and digital media, fixturing, venue agreements and stadia infrastructure. The NFL adopted some of the innovations introduced by the AFL immediately and a few others in the years following the merger. Cannon signed a $100,000 contract to play for the Oilers, despite having already signed a $50,000 contract with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. This apparently was meant to assert that the AFL could not achieve parity as long as it had to compete with the NFL in the draft. She is a trustee of the Charlie Perkins Trust. AFL Remuneration CommitteeRichard Goyder AO (chair), Paul Bassat, Robin Bishop, Sarah Fair, Simone Wilkie AO. Trainor was appointed as an inaugural Director of the Greater Western Sydney Giants Football Club in 2011 and chaired the Giants Integrity Committee. Average AFL hourly pay ranges from approximately $14.01 per hour for Customer Service Representative to $27.06 per hour for Maintenance Technician. Appointed inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Gold Coast Suns in June 2009. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. After winning six games in their debut season, the Raiders won a total of three times in the 1961 and 1962 seasons. Simone Wilkie was raised in Ballarat, where football played a central part in family life. Tanya is tasked with the implementation of the AFLs enhanced Indigenous strategy, advising the AFL National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council, maintenance of the Respect and Responsibility Policy, 2017, and the Gender Diversity Policy. All Rights Reserved. The Chiefs drafted University of Kansas star Gale Sayers in the first round of the 1965 AFL draft (held November 28, 1964), while the Chicago Bears did the same in the NFL draft. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. AFL Nominations CommitteeRichard Goyder AO (chair), Dale Alcock, David Koch, Mark LoGuidice, Andrew Pridham, Andrew Wellington, Simone Wilkie. Three long-time leaders of the NFL - Joe Carr, Bert Bell, and Pete Rozelle - have earned election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their contributions to the game. Walter holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with Melbourne Business School and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). ", "This time, realignment will be cool breeze", "NBC gains broadcast rights to American Football League", "Dallas meeting in '66 saved Steelers from stinking", "Black football players boycott AFL All-Star game", American Football League week-by-week box scores, 19601969, PFRA article about the 1926 seasons of both the NFL and AFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame American Football League Legacy Game, Official Titans website story on the AFL's 50th Anniversary Celebration, Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, Pacific Coast Professional Football League, High School Football National Championship, National Federation of State High School Associations, World League of American Football/NFL Europe/NFL Europa, American Football Association (19781983), Association of Professional Football Leagues, Champions Professional Indoor Football League, Professional Indoor Football League (1998), Professional Indoor Football League (2012), "The Star-Spangled Banner" (Whitney Houston recording), All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night, National Football League Players Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Football_League&oldid=1138851480, Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States, 1970 disestablishments in the United States, Defunct national American football leagues, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, All articles needing additional references, Pages using navbox columns without the first column, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Established itself as a major American football league, Moved to Los Angeles in 1982, returned to Oakland in 1995 then. NHL contracts are far more reasonable. (Added to NRS by 2019 , 4198; A . The AFL's original lineup consisted of an Eastern division of the New York Titans, Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and the Houston Oilers, and a Western division of the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, and Dallas Texans. The commissioners are some of the most important people in American sports, and they sure are paid like it. Bishop is a non-executive director of the Burnet Institute for Medical Research and serves on the Australian Takeovers Panel. The $3million indemnity that the Steelers received for joining the AFC with the rest of the former AFL teams after the merger helped them rebuild into a contender, drafting eventual-Pro Football Hall of Famers like Terry Bradshaw and Joe Greene, and ultimately winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Constantly lacking the money to build a quality team, the Steelers had only posted eight winning seasons, and just one playoff appearance, since their first year of existence in 1933 until the end of the 1969 season. As fierce competition made player salaries skyrocket in both leagues, especially after a series of "raids", the leagues agreed to a merger in 1966. Arena Football League employees earn $37,500 annually on average, or $18 per hour, which is 55% lower than the national salary average of $66,000 per year. In 1960, the NFL averaged attendance of more than 40,000 fans per game and more popular NFL teams in 1960 regularly saw attendance figures in excess of 50,000 per game,[21] while CFL attendances averaged approximately 20,000 per game. Watch Foxtel . 3. from the Consent Agenda, which was an acquisition; if it is necessary to have the item on the November 29, 2001 zoning agenda, it can be handled then; however, she would rather the item be discussed at a regular . This article is about the league that preceded the current American Football Conference. Bettman was instrumental in adding seven new franchises to the NHL, as well as adding outdoor hockey games. Professional football was still primarily a gate-driven business in 1960, so low attendance meant financial losses. Foss commissioned a friend of Harry Wismer's to develop the AFL's eagle-on-football logo. Undertook Articled Clerkship at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in 1994 and was subsequently employed as a solicitor in Corrs Commercial Division. The National Football League paid Commissioner Roger Goodell $63.9 million each of the last two years according to a New York Times report, far outpacing other sports commissioners and making. Later, when Brown was with the Broncos, Hennigan needed nine catches in one game against the Broncos to break Lionel Taylor's Professional Football record of 100 catches in one season. AFL CEO Gill McLachlan. The already-adopted salary ordinance for 2022 specifies $48,886 for each of the three commissioners, which is $2,886 more than the amount they were paid in 2021. Previously, Bishop was head of Macquarie Capital Australia, the regions largest and most active investment banking team. During the summer of 1959, he sought the blessings of the NFL for his nascent league, as he did not seek a potentially costly rivalry. [12] The NFL's initial reaction was not as openly hostile as it had been with the earlier All-America Football Conference (AAFC), as Bell had even given his public approval;[8][9] but he died suddenly in October 1959,[13] and individual NFL owners soon began a campaign to undermine the new league. Without them, the sports we love so much and athletes we marvel at wouldnt be able to exist. After numerous black players were refused service by a number of area hotels and businesses, black and white players alike called for a boycott. As the influence of the AFL continues through the present, the 50th anniversary of its launch was celebrated during 2009. The AFL paid its 11 executives a combined $10.5 million last year, down $160,000 on the year before. In the late 1950s, many players released by the NFL, or un-drafted and unsigned out of college by the NFL, went North to try their luck with the CFL, and later returned to the states to play in the AFL. Pay ranges for the same job title may differ based on the location and the responsibilities, skills, experience, and other requirements for a specific job. Every other professional league that had competed against the NFL before the AFLNFL merger had folded completely: the three previous leagues named "American Football League" and the All-America Football Conference. No data is available based on your input. The team with the best record after the home and away series is awarded the "minor premiership". The merged WHA teams were also not financially sound (in large part from the hefty expansion fees the NHL imposed on them), and three of the four were forced to relocate within 20 years. Confident that his team was capable of beating the NFL-champion Chicago Bears (he had the Chargers' rings inscribed with the phrase "World Champions"), Gillman approached NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and proposed a final championship game between the two teams. Hunt then approached Willard Rhodes, who hoped to bring pro football to Seattle. He worked as a lawyer until 1987 when he first began working with the MLB. She has more than 25 years experience as a non-executive director in entities operating in urban development, major projects, transport and infrastructure. It was the highest amount of money ever paid to a collegiate football player, and is cited as the strongest contributing factor to the eventual merger between the two leagues. While Hunt negotiated with the Bidwills, similar offers were made by Bud Adams, Bob Howsam, and Max Winter. Cannon signed a $100,000 contract to play for the Oilers, despite having already signed a $50,000 contract with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. According to the New York Times, Goodell has pulled in nearly $130 million over the past two years combined. Worked in a strategic role at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) that involved a variety of industries in different countries. Kelley has received numerous awards recognizing his leadership and commitment to AFGE members and the labor movement, including the AFL-CIO's Eyes on the Prize Award during the 2022 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference, and the Alabama AFL-CIO's prestigious Labor Person of the Year Award for 2022. . Bishop received a Bachelor of Commerce, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne. [24] Playing at Civic Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, the Tiger-Cats defeated the Bills 3821 playing a mix of AFL and CFL rules. Three days before the game, a frustrated Namath responded to a heckler at the Touchdown Club in Miami by declaring, "We're going to win Sunday, I'll guarantee you. History: The AFL Pro Football Hall of Fame (, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 00:19. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The following is a sample of some records set during the existence of the league. LONG-SERVING AFL commissioners Kim Williams and Jason Ball have elected to retire from their positions. As commissioner, Manfred has instituted pace-of-play rules that the MLB was in need of for years. collective bargaining agreements in 2002, 2006, and 2013. [18][19], On June 9, 1960, the league signed a five-year television contract with ABC, which brought in revenues of approximately $2.125 million per year for the entire league. Bettman will have another chance to renegotiate when his current contract expires in 2022. Her grandfather, Frank, and father, Tony, were presidents of North Melbourne for a total of 22 years. Picture: AFL Photos. The N.F.L.s calendar year begins in mid-March, and Goodells pay each year is determined by several prominent committees made up of owners of the leagues 32 clubs. Before joining Australia Post, Fair was a Senior Organisational Development Consultant at global management consulting firm Right Management, where she had the opportunity to work across a number of industries on key change projects including retail, fast-moving consumer goods, financial services, government, construction and mining. For years, Goodells compensation, along with that of other top league officials, was included in annual filings that had to be published because the league office (unlike the teams) was a tax-exempt organization. Both the WHA and ABA lost several teams to financial insolvency over the course of their existences. His tenure as commissioner, which began in 2006, has been punctuated by controversies and self-inflicted problems, including his handling of cases involving domestic violence, bullying and players protesting police brutality and inequality during the national anthem. AFL-CIO employees earn $54,500 annually on average, or $26 per hour, which is 19% lower than the national salary average of $66,000 per year. His $35 million average annual salary is still less than Goodells, which most likely over $40 million. Rogers joined the AFL in December 2017 from Mamamia, Australias largest womens media company. Trout will make $36 million in base salary in 2020, more than three times the amount of Manfreds salary for this season. New teams were added in time from Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, while the original senior state league competitions in SA (the SANFL) and WA (the WAFL), continue to this day, but no longer as the primary competitions in their respective regions with state-based teams as part of the AFL. Anyone can read what you share. John Barilaro slammed over hiring for Senior Trade Commissioner role. What we consider before using anonymous sources. The Vikings, favored by 12 points, were held to just 67 rushing yards. In October 2020, Tanya was announced as the South Australian of the Year for 2021. Professor Milroy has led work for many years in Australia around Aboriginal mental health with a focus on the wellbeing of children. After joining the AFL in September 2014, is now responsible for the industrys finances, the relationship with the competitions 18 clubs, the television and radio broadcaster partners, along with the fixturing process for both the national mens and womens competitions. Can we corroborate the information? The Raiders beat the Chiefs 416 in a division playoff to qualify for the AFL Championship Game. See the highest-earning players in the AFL this year, before COVID cuts, in the list below (all salaries courtesy of News Corp) T: 9-11: Lachie Neale $900,000-$950,000 Max Gawn $900,000-$950,000 Patrick Cripps $900,000-$950,000 8: Marcus Bontempelli $950,000-$1,000,000 T: 6-7: Jeremy McGovern $1,000,000-$1,050,000 Base Salary (USD) $996,117/year View Hourly Rate Salary: Commensurate upon education and experience; FLSA Status: Non-exempt . The NFL, which had played a 12-game schedule since 1947, changed to a 14-game schedule in 1961, a year after the American Football League instituted it. The. The average salary of Afl is $194,854 in the United States. Continuing to attract top talent from colleges and the NFL by the mid-1960s, as well as successful franchise shifts of the Chargers from L.A. south to San Diego and the Texans north to Kansas City (becoming the Kansas City Chiefs), the AFL established a dedicated following. In 1965, Milwaukee officials tried to lure an expansion team to play at Milwaukee County Stadium where the Green Bay Packers had played parts of their home schedule after an unsuccessful attempt to lure the Packers there full-time, but Packers head coach Vince Lombardi invoked the team's exclusive lease, and additionally, signed an extension to keep some home games in Milwaukee until 1976. On August 8, 1961, the AFL challenged the Canadian Football League to an exhibition game that would feature the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Buffalo Bills, which was attended by 24,376 spectators. On May 6, after Atlanta's exit, Robbie secured an agreement with Miami mayor Robert King High to bring a team to Miami. AFL Tribunal/ Appeals BoardTribunal/Appeal Board Chairs: David Jones, Ross Howie, Geoff Giudice AO, Murray Kellam QCTribunal Jury Members: Wayne Henwood, Jason Johnson, Stephen Jurica, Richard Loveridge, Stewart Loewe, Peter Matera, David Neitz, David Pittman, Paul Williams and Shane Wakelin.Appeal Board Panel Members: David Jones, Ross Howie, Geoff Giudice AO, Murray Kellam QC, Wayne Henwood, Stephen Jurica, Richard LoveridgeAFL Tribunal Counsel: Jeff Gleeson QC, Nick Pane QC, Renee Enbom SC and Andrew WoodsSecretary: Tom Gasti. Chief executive Gillon McLachlan was reported by Good Weekend to have earned $1.8 million, but his salary is no longer disclosed by the league. Within weeks of the July 1959 announcement of the league's formation,[8][9] Hunt received commitments from Barron Hilton and Harry Wismer to bring teams to Los Angeles and New York, respectively. (255 Salaries) | Glassdoor. Select a company name to explore and learn more about other companies across the industry and to compare average salaries with those at Afl - Australian Football League. Though the AFL is yet to determine the impact the coronavirus shutdown will have on the 18 salary caps, clubs are bracing for smaller list sizes and reduced wages in 2021 and beyond. Each of the 8 teams took part in at least two such "legacy" games. Before this week, the amount of money that Goodell had been paid had basically been a mystery over the past six years. Richard Goyder is the chairman of Woodside Petroleum Ltd, Qantas Airways Ltd, JDRF Australia, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust. 200 - 300 - 800 - Corrections Support Rate Table. The most striking claim is that the Teal MP . After losses by the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in the first two AFL-NFL World Championship Games to the Green Bay Packers (196667), the New York Jets and Chiefs won Super Bowls III and IV (196869) respectively, cementing the league's claim to being an equal to the NFL. After a close first half, the NFL champion Green Bay Packers overwhelmed the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs, 3510. Commissioner Roger Goodells pay for the past two fiscal years totaled almost $128 million, bolstered by bonuses for helping the leagues owners clinch a new 10-year labor deal with the players and secure media contracts worth more than $100 billion over the next decade. Led by their stalwart defensewhich allowed a record-low 144 pointsthe 1968 Colts were considered one of the best-ever NFL teams. He was a director of the Fremantle Football Club from 2006 until September 2011 and played amateur football with University and Old Scotch in WA. That's why AFGE members are fighting for an 8.7% raise. Send a Letter By then, the NFL wanted to quickly award the new Dallas franchise to Murchison so the team could immediately begin play and compete with the AFL's Texans. Even though he is the longest-tenured commissioner, Gary Bettman makes the lowest per year of all the major commissioners at $9.6 million. Texas AFT's Respect Agenda calls for a minimum $10,000 across-the-board raise for certified educators and a minimum 15% across-the-board raise for classified educators. Hunt and Schramm completed the basic groundwork for a merger of the two leagues by the end of May, and on June 8, 1966, the merger was officially announced. Executive General Manager People: Sarah FairA HR professional and change management specialist, Fair was appointed to the AFL Executive in March 2017. Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton demanded that a replacement for Minnesota be placed in California, to reduce his team's operating costs and to create a rivalry. The owners on Wednesday were told that Goodells recent pay package, about 90 percent of which is bonuses, was so large because he had helped secure such favorable labor and media deals, according to four people who attended the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was a private session among about two dozen team owners. While many AFL players and observers believed their league was the equal of the NFL, their first two Super Bowl performances did nothing to prove it. Prior to the start of the 1970 NFL season, the merged league was organized into two conferences of three divisions each. The Grand Final winner is termed the "premiers", and is awarded the premiership cup. The Commission is responsible for the administration of the competition and its constitution proclaims it as the "keeper of the code", the body universally responsible for the sport of Australian Football. How much does a Probation Case Specialist make in Garysburg, North Carolina? commissioners compensation for 2019-20 and 2020-21, bolstered by bonuses for closing labor and media rights deals, was disclosed to team owners in a private meeting. Probably the most well-known commissioner in American sports is Roger Goodell. Prior to the AFL, he worked globally across the resources, government, communications and technology sectors. The two leagues would be fully merged by 1970, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle would remain as commissioner of the merged league, which would be named the NFL. In the spirit of reconciliation the AFL acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. [47][48][49][50] With the win, the AFL finally achieved parity with the NFL and legitimized the merger of the two leagues. The Northern Territory government has also paid large sums of money for matches, with Melbourne CEO Gary Pert confirming to Grandstand AFL the club would lose $800,000 due to the relocation of Friday night's clash with Brisbane from Alice Springs to the SCG. They are Chairman Richard Goyder, AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan, Paul Bassat, Robin Bishop, Professor Helen Milroy, Andrew Newbold, Gab Trainor and Simone Wilkie. By Damian Barrett on Mar 3, 2021, 9:23pm. Manfred studied law at Cornell University. In 2015, the last year where his salary was a matter of public record, Goodell pulled in $32 million. PROFESSOR HELEN MILROY, MBBS; FRANZCP; CATCAP. The year 2022 is a common year, with 365 days in total. The league minimum is $31,000, and the average salary, boosted by the contracts of a handful of. On April 7, Joe Foss resigned as AFL commissioner. 8:02pm Feb 15, 2021. His current contract is estimated to give him $10 millionthis year. Ralph Wilson, who owned a minority interest in the NFL's Detroit Lions at the time, initially announced he was placing a team in Miami, but like the Seattle situation, was also rebuffed by local ownership (like Seattle, Miami would later get a pro football team of its own as well); given five other choices, Wilson negotiated with McGroder and brought the team that became the Bills to Buffalo. The return of football to Kansas City was the first time that city had seen professional football since the NFL's Kansas City Blues of the 1920s; the arrival of the Chiefs, and the contemporary arrival of the St. Louis Football Cardinals, brought professional football back to Missouri for the first time since the temporary St. Louis Gunners of 1934. The Raiders, with a league-worst average attendance of just 9,612, lost $500,000 in their first year and only survived after receiving a $400,000 loan from Bills owner Ralph Wilson. Formerly he was Chairman of the Australian B20 (the key business advisory body to the international economic forum which includes business leaders from all G20 economies). Whats their motivation for telling us? The AFL, under the Chief Executive, is divided into departments led by Executive General Managers across each of these areas of executive responsibility. Eastern Division hosted in even-numbered seasons, Western in odd. According to sources Roger Goodell's net worth is estimated to be $175 million. CTE has been a prevalent issue in football, as more and more former players are being diagnosed. The Titans were sold to a five-person ownership group headed by Sonny Werblin on March 28, 1963, and in April the new owners changed the team's name to the New York Jets. Company reviews can provide helpful insights into the company culture, working conditions, benefits, compensation, and training opportunities in Afl - Australian Football League. Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Oklahoma AFL-CIO by 2x. Here's the minimum salary change over the last nine years: 2011: $375,000 2012: $390,000 2013: $405,000 2014: $420,000 2015: $435,000 2016: $450,000. Goodell has been the NFL's commissioner since 2006 and although it's not clear what his pay was between 2016 and 2018, theAction Network estimates that he has made a total of $375 million during his 15-year career as commissioner, which is an average of $25 million per year. Following his retirement from law in 2006, Newbold started a renewable energy business which he sold to an ASX top 20 company in 2009. Motivated by the prospect of an intrastate rivalry with the Bengals as well as by personal animosity toward Paul Brown, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell quickly offered to include his team in the AFC. Previously, Newbold has been a director of a number of private companies and not-for-profit organisations, including the Australian Childhood Foundation and Victorian Deaf Society. The average salary of Afl - Australian Football League is $996,117 in the United States. His total earnings as commissioner have exceeded $330 million. A series of secret meetings commenced in Dallas to discuss the concerns of both leagues over rapidly increasing player salaries, as well as the practice of player poaching. Bishop has led more than $100 billion in mergers and acquisitions transactions and more than $40 billion in capital raising assignments across a range of sectors and markets. Mr. McCabe is a partner at River Crossing Strategy Group, a lobbying and public affairs firm in New Jersey. The average AFL-CIO salary ranges from approximately $54,174 per year for Administrative Assistant to $142,813 per year for Director of Facilities. This included a six-month contract in the Philippines. She joined the AFL Commission in March 2019. However, these negotiations came to nothing, since the Bidwills insisted on retaining a controlling interest in the franchise and were unwilling to move their team to a city where a previous NFL franchise had failed in 1952. Green Bay defensive tackle Henry Jordan offered a compliment to Oakland and the AFL, when he said, "the AFL is becoming much more sophisticated on offense. The salary paid can be different for the same position in Afl - Australian Football League based on experience, skills, and education. Here are some other companies that are located close to Afl - Australian Football League. The agreement also called for a title game to be played between the champions of the respective leagues. Secretaries / General Managers1897-1929: Edwin Wilson1929-1956: Like McBrien, OBE1956-1976: Eric McCutchan, OBE1977-1984: Jack Hamilton, AM1985-1986: Alan Schwab, Chair Commission1986-1993: Ross Oakley1993-1997: John Kennedy1998-2007: Ron Evans2007-2016: Mike FitzpatrickSince 2017: Richard Goyder, Executive Commissioner1986-93: Alan Schwab, Chief Executive Officer1994-1996: Ross Oakley1996-2003: Wayne Jackson2003-2014: Andrew DemetriouSince 2014: Gillon McLachlan. [34] In early 1965, the AFL awarded its first expansion team to Rankin Smith of Atlanta. After a brief search, Oakland was chosen and an ownership group led by F. Wayne Valley and local real estate developer Chet Soda was formed. Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News has argued that the presence of AFL and the subsequent merger radically altered the fortunes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, saving the team "from stinking". In addition to AFL greats like Hank Stram, Lou Saban, Sid Gillman and Al Davis were eventual hall of fame coaches such as Bill Walsh, a protg of Davis with the AFL Oakland Raiders for one season; and Chuck Noll, who worked for Gillman and the AFL LA/San Diego Chargers from 1960 through 1965. The Texans eventually ceded Dallas to the Cowboys and became the Kansas City Chiefs. Over the past few seasons, Goodell has made it a priority to increase the on-field safety precautions as concussions rise. The Chiefs upset the Raiders in Oakland 177 in the league's Championship, the final AFL game played. After the AFLNFL merger agreement in 1966, and after the AFL's Jets defeated an extremely strong Baltimore Colts team, a popular misconception fostered by the NFL and spread by media reports was that the AFL defeated the NFL because of the Common Draft instituted in 1967. That meant that the average salary of an AFL player went from $309,000 to $371,000, with the salary cap rising from $10.37 million to $12.45 million. The loss reinforced for many the notion that the AFL was an inferior league. [34], In 1966, the rivalry between the AFL and NFL reached an all-time peak. On June 17, the AFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, which was dismissed in 1962 after a two-month trial.