• A strange situation ensued when both the Raiders and the Colts claim to have signed Arizona State halfback Tony Lorick.

• Lorick was the Raiders' first-round draft pick and the Colts' second-round pick.

• A Los Angeles Sentinel reporter, Brad Pye, claimed to have witnessed Lorick's signing of a Raiders contract a week ago and that Lorick had accepted a cash bonus from the team's representative.

• Lorick claimed he hadn't signed with Oakland, but Pye produced a document, not the contract, signed by Lorick acknowledging that he had signed the contract.

• The contract itself was now missing.

• Raiders general manager Al Davis said they hadn't announced Lorick's signing to prevent the halfback from being eligible for an Arizona State bowl game.

• AFL commissioner Joe Foss said the league would back Oakland's claim.

• The team's tenth-round draft pick, Oregon halfback Mel Renfro, signed with the Cowboys.