Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis discusses Tom Cable and team - Part 1
Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, hasn’t had a talk with the media for over 16 months.
So that means that when he does, he’s either pissed off or about to die.
However, the Cryptkeeper look-alike had a great many things to talk about in his 100 minute news conference, from fired head coach Tom Cable to the collective bargaining agreement.
He spent most of the conference explaining exactly why he fined Cable $120,000 in his last season with the Raiders. He says that he did not pay Cable his last six months salary because of the pressure and strain on the franchise for dealing with lawsuits
against Cable, both for assault, one on a former assistant coach and the other on a former girlfriend.
Former assistant head coach Randy Hanson filed lawsuit which was sent to a league arbitrator after being kicked out of court. Davis said that the lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Marie Lutz, was recently settled.
"That lawsuit created a tremendous amount of work, stress and turmoil," Davis said. "Tom had been told earlier in his career that he could have been fired without pay for the wrath he brought on the Raider organization."
Cable had filed a grievance with the NFL against the Raiders to recover the $120,000 worth of lost wages. Davis said that Cable had lied to him when he was asked if he had any past issues that could affect his tenure with the Raiders. He was also furious
that the lawsuit filed by Lutz said that the head coach had brought her along when the team was on the road, saying that it was against the Raider way and spirit of professional football.
Davis actually makes a pretty good point. Despite Cable punching Hanson in the mouth and breaking his jaw in August of 2009, accusations that he assaulted three different women later in the year, and Lutz’s lawsuit, Davis kept Cable to coach for the 2010
season.
"We had been in turmoil for about a year or two after the initial stuff came out and so I just didn't think we needed another uproar at this particular time," Davis said. "Two roads. You can choose Road A or Road B, either way."
Cable said that the only time he has ever touched a woman inappropriately was when he struck his wife, Sandy Cable, with an open hand. Because the incident took place over 20 years ago, before Cable joined the NFL, the league did not have the authority to
punish him.
Davis still does not know what happened that caused Hanson to file a lawsuit against Cable. The incident took place at a hotel room during training camp in 2009 when Hanson’s jaw was broken. Hanson has accused the former head coach of throwing him against
the wall, with his face striking a table. He goes onto say that Cable then hit him while he was down on the floor, causing Hanson to undergo treatment for broken teeth and a fractured jaw. Hanson said that assistant coaches Lionel Washington, Willie Brown,
and John Marshall had to restrain Cable to keep him from assaulting Hanson further.
Davis said that he did not want to get in the middle of this particular mess.
"Can't get the story," Davis said. "You know, it's like Gitmo. Trying to find out, did they waterboard those guys or not? No, really. It's hard to believe. How many guys went in? Four guys went into the room with a guy, the guys comes out with a broken jaw
and no one saw it."
There were a couple of other topics that Davis covered in his news conference.
To be continued in Part 2…
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