Las Vegas Raiders announce death of player - turns out he's still alive

The Raiders announced the passing of former Oakland Raiders star Clarence Davis - but the 73-year-old Super Bowl champion is very much alive.

Unfortunately for Davis and his loved ones, this fact was discovered after the NFL team took to social media on Thursday (6 October) to make the inaccurate announcement.

"The Raiders Family mourns the loss of Clarence Davis, who passed away earlier this week," read a since-deleted tweet from the team, which is now based in Las Vegas.

But within hours, the Raiders issued a correction.

"The Raiders received notice of Clarence Davis' passing but have found that information to be false," read a follow-up statement from the Raiders.

"The Raiders extend our deepest apologies to the Davis family and the Raider Nation for the erroneous announcement."

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The correction did not come in time for many mourners, who grieved the passing of the team's hero and legend on Thursday.

"Clarence Davis was the best back of that era. A natural leader and a humble guy. My condolences to his family and friends," one wrote.

Another person, whose father was a friend of Davis' added: "My dad's longtime friend and Raider player Clarence Davis passed away yesterday. I don't know if Raider Nation was aware of this. But it seems to be newsworthy as he was one of the NFL greats #RaiderNation."

Davis' death was also felt by the softball community, where he was a regular umpire, social media posts indicate.

"RIP my buddy, Oakland Raiders, Clarence Davis. You will be missed!" tweeted Scott Woodcock, an assistant softball coach at the University of Maine. He also shared a picture of himself and the retired running back.

Davis was a running back amid the Raiders' golden years in Oakland and helped the team upset the two-time defending Super Bowl-champion Miami Dolphins in the 1974 playoffs with a catch later dubbed the "Sea of Hands."

In 1974 and 1975, Oakland would lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in consecutive AFC Championship games but won Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 season.

According to OutKick.com, Davis' health has been declining in recent years.

Fans were understandably angered with the team, but they were relieved to learn that the legend is still alive.

"Clarence Davis is alive & well. Thank god. #RaiderNation," one added.

"Clarence Davis - glad the news of your passing was false. Thank you for being a Raider and especially making that catch through a 'Sea of Hands'", another wrote.

Someone else, who believes there's no coming back from a moment like this chimed in and added: "Oh my goodness, there is no way to fix this. Tough moment for Raiders, not to mention Clarence Davis and family #9sports."

Indy100 reached out to the Raiders for comment.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.