Bret Clark

Clark was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 7th round of the 1985 NFL Draft but chose to accept a $1 million contract offer from the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Later, Bandits coach Steve Spurrier questioned whether Clark was worth that much. Spurrier and other Bandits insiders tried to get the contract voided, believing that owner John F. Bassett's judgment was impaired when he hammered out the deal. Bassett was suffering from terminal brain cancer at the time, and Spurrier and others believed the unusually large contract was evidence that he was no longer of sound mind.[2][3][4]

Clark played in seven games with the Bandits during the USFL's final season, mostly as a nickel back and on special teams.

The contract came back to haunt the Bandits in August 1986. In March, Clark took the Bandits to arbitration seeking $159,980 in back pay, and won. The decision was reaffirmed on May 26. By then, a dying Bassett had sold controlling interest in the Bandits to minority partner Lee Scarsone. However, Scarsone had gone into considerable debt to make the purchase, and had depleted most of his assets in the process. As a result, the Bandits did not have the assets available to reimburse Clark. On August 4--the same day that the USFL suspended operations—federal judge Elizabeth Kovachevich placed a $159,980 lien on the franchise and ordered that the team's remaining assets, including everything from weight-lifting equipment to office furniture to uniforms to souvenirs and memorabilia from the team store, be confiscated to pay the debt. This move effectively ended any chance of the Bandits returning to the field, though the league itself did not officially cease to exist until 1988.[5][6]

The Atlanta Falcons traded their 4th round draft pick in the 1986 NFL Draft to the Raiders for the rights to Clark, and he signed a contract with the team soon thereafter.[7] As a member of the Falcons, Clark returned to the Bandits' home field of Tampa Stadium for an August 1986 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just days after the conclusion of his lawsuit against the Bandits. Accordingly, he was booed by Tampa football fans for his role in finishing off the city's other pro football team.[8]

Clark played three years for Atlanta, mostly as a starting safety. A chronic knee injury required surgery during the 1988 season and landed him on injured reserve.[9] The injury effectively ended his football career, as the Falcons chose not to offer him a contract for the following season.[10]

In 1998, Clark wrote a book about his experiences entitled "Movin' On: My Life in the NFL".