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DA: No charge against Raiders coach Cable
Weeks of speculation end for NFL coach
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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4:15 p.m.NAPA — Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable won’t face charges after being investigated over allegations that he assaulted one of his assistants, ending a two-month saga that was a cloud over the team’s season.

Napa County district attorney Gary Lieberstein said Thursday that the investigation concluded no charges were warranted.
“Our duty is to do the right thing for the right reasons,” Lieberstein said. “Under the facts and circumstances of this case, it would be a miscarriage of justice to pursue criminal charges and we will not ask our citizens to give up their valuable time for jury duty, nor will we allow our criminal justice system to be compromised.”

Cable has denied the charges from the beginning and said shortly before the district attorney’s announcement that he trusted in the legal system. Cable said he does not intend to speak to the media again until Friday.
“The Raider organization waited patiently for a comprehensive legal process to conclude and now this matter has been resolved,” Raiders spokesman Mike Taylor said. “Our focus has been and remains on the New York Jets.”

The alleged attack occurred at the team’s training camp hotel on Aug. 5 in Napa, after Cable called Randy Hanson into a meeting with defensive coordinator John Marshall and defensive backs coaches Lionel Washington and Willie Brown.
Hanson told Yahoo! Sports earlier this month that Cable came up from behind him and knocked him out of his chair. Hanson said he broke his jaw and cracked two teeth after hitting a table. Hanson also alleged that Cable threatened to kill him before the other coaches pulled him away.

Hanson’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

Lieberstein said it was his belief that there was not enough evidence for a jury to convict Cable of any offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.

Lieberstein said interviews with witnesses established that Cable did not punch Hanson or make any verbal threats. He said the evidence showed that Cable became angry and rushed toward Hanson, but one of the assistants stepped between the coaches. Cable ran into the other assistant, who bumped into Hanson and knocked him out of his chair. The witnesses also told authorities that Cable then grabbed Hanson by the shirt but never struck or threatened him.

Lieberstein also said that because Hanson did not file a police report at the time of the alleged incident, police were unable to search the hotel room for any physical evidence that might have corroborated Hanson’s story. He said Hanson did not talk to the police until the end of September, which delayed the case.

“It should be further noted that within the past week and a half, Mr. Hanson showed up unannounced at the police department and made a statement to the effect that since the Raiders had not given him what he asked for, he would now fully cooperate with the prosecution,” Lieberstein said.

Lieberstein said there were inconsistencies in what Hanson told the police and what he said in media interviews. He said those were not cleared up in a follow-up interview on Wednesday.

“Something happened but even he doesn’t know how it happened,” Lieberstein said. “I don’t even think he has a good idea.”

Lieberstein said the other coaches who were interviewed gave consistent statements.

The NFL is already monitoring the case to determine if Cable violated the league’s personal conduct policy. According to the policy, a coach or player can be disciplined for “violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league wanted to let the criminal process proceed before getting involved. Goodell said criminal charges need not be brought against Cable for the NFL to discipline him if he broke the league’s conduct rules.

“We will review the decision announced earlier today by the Napa District Attorney and the facts developed in the underlying investigation,” the league said in a statement. “Following that review, we will take appropriate action, if any, under our policies.”

Cable has said the pending case was not a distraction to his coaching, and the players said before Thursday’s announcement that it has not been an issue around the team.

“You would think that would be a bigger thing,” defensive end Jay Richardson said. “But it hasn’t been at all. No one’s talked about it. He hasn’t talked about it. We haven’t talked about it. ... We’ve got so much on our plate this year, and we’ve got enough to worry about right now.”

Hanson was one of the assistants hired for this year’s staff before Cable had even gotten the job as head coach. Cable took over as interim coach last season when Lane Kiffin was fired after four games and reportedly tried to get rid of Hanson then, but owner Al Davis overruled him. Davis brought Hanson back on this season’s staff a few weeks before announcing that Cable was hired as coach.

Hanson was also a key player in the dispute that helped lead to Kiffin’s firing. Kiffin suspended Hanson after the assistant criticized the coaching staff in a meeting following a 41-14 season-opening loss to Denver. Davis later reinstated Hanson and Kiffin was fired a few weeks later.

———

AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Alameda, Calif., contributed to this report.
25 comment(s)

amazed wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:10 PM:

" Geez, anything for a press conference! "

yessam99 wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:13 PM:

" I'll be shocked if Napa's D.A. files charges against Cable, that would mean the D.A.'s office would have to work other than DUI's. "

reason-ator wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:38 PM:

" Fighting in FOOTBALL ?

Really ? "

tiredofcomplainingnapkins wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:59 PM:

" I love the photo the register used,

He looks like hes gonna strangle someone, or hes doing the double fist punch, either way the picture makes him look like someone who would assault someone "

Napan-4-Life wrote on Oct 22, 2009 1:14 PM:

" I would be surprised if the D.A. didn't file charges... what if your boss knocked you off your seat at work and you broke your jaw? Seems to set a bad precedent. "

firststreetmayor wrote on Oct 22, 2009 1:41 PM:

" At this point I would be surprised if he did,

"Gary Lieberstein says his decision", so ! all this time Cable was walking the streets of many towns all over the U.S. as no threat to anyone.

Thank Gary for this. "

Blackbeard wrote on Oct 22, 2009 2:14 PM:

" The plot thickens..The Presser has been set back to 3:30 pm..Don't get in the way of this guy in the Buffet line... "

y2kcbr wrote on Oct 22, 2009 2:21 PM:

" Don't file. Make him coach the Raiders for 25 to life. That's enough punishment. Of course make him pay Randy Hanson for the assault "

calistoga_tony wrote on Oct 22, 2009 3:30 PM:

" Why the red carpet treatment by the Napa DA? If Joe-six-pack broke another man's jaw, would it take this long for charges to be filed? I want charges to be filed against the Napa DA for sitting on their hands.

Napa PD loves to make moves against its citizens for parking tickets, expired tags and the like, when will regular working citizens get this royal treatment? If someone broke the DA's jaw, how long till charges were filed? "

bryjag1965 wrote on Oct 22, 2009 3:34 PM:

" i know a lot of people who were there working around the room that day, i think that napa doesnt want to be the bad guy. believe me, he did a number on that guy, but thats life. hanson made his bed and talked trash until he got his mouth shut . "

crusherfan wrote on Oct 22, 2009 3:48 PM:

" Unbelievable!!! If I were to shove one of my coworkers or employees hard enough for them to run their face into a table and break their jaw, I would be fired, sued and arrested.No doubt about it!!!Big Al had to hang that $$$ covered carrot in front of someones face for sure.Just goes to show, if you have money, you can buy your way out of just about anything "

cordell wrote on Oct 22, 2009 3:54 PM:

" If you have been following the story, other than in the NVR, you would have heard that none of the other coaches in the room corroborated Hanson's story. Hanson also got into a fistfight with Lane Kiffin last season. Don't go getting all weepy for Hanson. "

Cowboy wrote on Oct 22, 2009 5:33 PM:

" It's the same type of good ol' boys club, like cops, covering for each other. "Boys will be boys", as if the Raiders aren't well known for being bad boys in the league.

The public will never know what "really" happened. It's not like the DA didn't give them all enough time to get their stories straight. "

kevin wrote on Oct 22, 2009 5:36 PM:

" So Hanson broke his own jaw? lol.

Being the Raiders, one would think that GANG prosecution charges would be the appropriate mechanism... "

firststreetmayor wrote on Oct 22, 2009 5:49 PM:

" Again Napa County district attorney Gary Lieberstein will run for DA of Napa,

will you vote for him ? "

nee_vapir wrote on Oct 22, 2009 6:23 PM:

" If you got money you get away with any thing you don't and the DA will get you! When kids look up to people like him and nothing is done when they break the law sends every one the wrong message! I have even cut my kids off from watching sports, these are not the kind of people I want my kids to look up to! "

doscentavos wrote on Oct 22, 2009 6:26 PM:

" Mr D.A.,
You've lost my future vote and confidence. I know for a fact, many are pursued by your office for making a verbal threat and get more punishment than what Cable gave his asst. coach.

I hope the other coach sues Coach for a great settlement. A broken Jaw with 3 witnesses.
UNbelievable! "

Old Time Napkin wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:16 PM:

" Maybe Lieberstein got season tickets! Somehow this guy got a broken jaw and it doesn't look like he broke his own jaw. I think we need a change in the D.A.s office. "

mytwocents wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:42 PM:

" We have come to the decision that Mr Hanson broke his own jaw. LOL!! you are kidding right? Napa arrests females who leave defense wounds on their attackers and this guy walks !?!?! I guess that old saying is true, money talks. "

napasfinest wrote on Oct 22, 2009 8:52 PM:

" bryjag1965, let's be honest here. You don't know anyone that was in the room that day, nor anything about the situation period. Good day. "

skippert wrote on Oct 22, 2009 8:54 PM:

" Why did we even for a minute bother with this. I knew our DA would do nothing. He only goes after the easy ones. "

Baraki wrote on Oct 22, 2009 9:03 PM:

" A freaking press conference? Just don't file charges -- MAYBE a brief written press release... "

cyclopath wrote on Oct 22, 2009 9:11 PM:

" Go Cable and Go Raiders! Beat the Jets! "

jmo wrote on Oct 22, 2009 9:26 PM:

" Something is not right here Lucy!

Guess the Raiders training camp means a lot to Napa!

Well there is always the civil suit option...guess we will have to wait and see. "

abouttime wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:30 PM:

" First, no charges against Alan Gordon for conflict of interest and ripping off the the St. Helena school district, now no charges against Tom Cable for breaking a guys jaw. What do you have to do to get prosecuted in Napa. "

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