Possibly.
I've found a record of Brian Kelly lobbying for it's unrestriction in 1996 and 1997.
Check it out:
Post 1: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy/gaOB0QoXsqc/W8mxbGt-zw8J
Post 2: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy/yS5NKq1KpNY/d1qn6fId9yUJ
Wow.
@ Brian: You thought you could hide this from us, but even after twenty years, my sleuthing skills uncovered your misdeeds
I kid, but it is funny to think that you might have actually swayed DCI opinion in this ancient era, with long term unintended consequences that could hardly have been fully appreciated.