Raiders Finally Fire Kiffin
The inevitable became reality Tuesday when Lane Kiffin was fired by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. In a one-paragraph release, the team said, "Lane Kiffin has been released as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for cause. "
"I reached a point where I felt that the whole staff were fractionalized, that the best thing to do to get this thing back was to make a change," Davis said during a lengthy news conference. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."
Al Davis has not named Kiffin’s replacement yet, although he has let it be known that whoever takes over will inherit the existing coaching staff.
Offensive Line Coach Tom Cobble had this to say, "This is in many ways a strange day. I have a friend who lost a job. That's difficult in this business but, as we know, this is a business. It is time for us to move forward and to put the past behind us. ... We have a good coaching staff here and a good football team here."
The Raiders may have improved under Lane Kiffin -- but they were still among the dregs of the NFL.
The news did not blindside Kiffin, who was informed by a team executive that he would be fired at the end of the 2007 season. Even though Davis didn't act at the end of the 2007 season, as Kiffin was told, the firing came as no surprise.
"I know that I left this team a lot better than when we got here," Kiffin told ESPN's Chris Mortenson. "It was very painful for myself and my family," he said. "A lot of accusations were being made there. A lot of information was put up. A number of lies were very hurtful. It was tough to stomach for myself and my family. But it is what it is. We'll deal with it from here."
Davis hired Kiffin, who was USC's offensive coordinator at the time, as the NFL's youngest coach (at 31 years old) in February 2007. Even though many observers questioned the hiring, Kiffin ultimately gained respect around the league for fielding a significantly more competitive team than the Raiders had displayed before he was hired.
While Oakland was competitive in most of its games, Kiffin and Davis had a falling out on several fronts, starting when Davis believed Kiffin expressed private interest in the head coaching position at the University of Arkansas during the 2007 season.
However, it was well-documented that their relationship disintegrated when Kiffin attempted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. A source said Kiffin suggested to Davis that the owner had reneged on an agreement that the coach would have control over his own staff. Shortly thereafter, Davis sent a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign, sources said. Kiffin declined.
Davis denied a report that Kiffin was sent a resignation letter in the past but refused to sign it. The owner said that Kiffin was responsible for getting that false claim into the media. On Tuesday, Davis was asked if Kiffin was trying to get fired so that he would receive the remainder of his salary.
"I don't know what he was doing, but he got me to fire him," Davis said.
Kiffin denied any attempt to get fired and said that he has lawyers looking into the Raiders' attempt to avoid paying the coach.
Kiffin had opposed some of Davis' big free-agent signings and draft choices. Kiffin also expressed public frustration that the team was not more aggressive in claiming other teams' released players via the waiver process to strengthen the bottom of the roster.
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