Raiders' Owner Meets With Cable Over Allegations

NFL News - November 5th, 2009 - Written by John

By the time the reports came out, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis was already eager to meet with Tom Cable, the man he had hired to lead his football team back to dignity and respect. Bluntly, Davis wanted Cable to reveal every piece of evidence he could afford into the allegations against him that he was a womanizer and an abuser in three of his prior relationships.

The team said it would conduct a "serious evaluation" of the matter, and Davis and Cable had a face-to-face meeting earlier this week, although no details were offered to the media.

“What we talked about is between us and we’ll keep it that way,” he said.

One thing he did indicate: his job was not put into jeopardy.

"We didn't even talk about that," Cable said. "We talked about, like you're supposed to, the team, personnel moves, the second half and upcoming (games).

The reports, which were started on ESPN's Outside The Lines program, were centered around two of Cable's ex-wives and one ex-girlfriend who all filed police reports against the second-year head coach. The complaints were supplemented by photos of bruises and marks from when the women say Cable struck them and used force to get his way. He admitted to striking his first wife, Sandy Cable, in the face, but said it was with an open fist. He also said it was over 20 years ago and he hasn't had a similar incident since.

"Those are not issues for us to discuss," Cable added. "There's no need to right now. Right now, it's about trying to turn it around and get us on track."

Getting back on track means more than just success on the field, however. The Raiders have been the poster child of mismanagement, going through five coaches since appearing in the Super Bowl in 2003. There have been reports of team members laughing and joking in the post-game clubhouse, even after miserable losses and quarterback JaMarcus Russell has one of the lowest passer ratings in football. Earlier this season, New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said his team's game against Oakland was like playing against a junior varsity team.

It hasn't gotten better with the reports, in which the head coach, who is supposed to be a leader above all else, has been indicated as a menacing, troublesome figure. The NFL has already been bludgeoned with off-field incidents from it's players, but by the sport they play, are prone to violence and boistrousness. A thoughtful, meticulous coach involved in something so intentionally harmful off the field is particularly unsettling.

The Raiders are 2-6 this season and are on a bye this week. Expect more news about the incident with another week-and-a-half of space to fill by media outlets.

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