Oct 22, 2009 5:49 pm US/Pacific
Raiders' Cable Won't Face Assault Charges
NAPA (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Head coach Tom Cable of the Oakland Raiders.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
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 told reporters at a Thursday afternoon news conference 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 had denied the charges from the beginning and said shortly before the district attorney's announcement that he trusted in the legal system.
"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."
Cable was accused of attacking Randy Hanson on Aug. 5 during a pre-season meeting at the team's training camp hotel in Napa.
The incident reportedly occured after Cable called 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 went to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa to get treated for a broken jaw but did not immediately tell authorities who assaulted him.
Napa police said the victim initially told them that he did not want "any police action or formal charges filed" and refused to identify the assailant or any potential witnesses.
Hanson eventually cooperated with police, who forwarded their investigation to Lieberstein's office on Oct. 5 to determine whether charges should be filed against Cable.
Lieberstein indicated Thursday that the Napa Police Department "was of the same mind" regarding his decision not to file charges.
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.
"Felonious assaults require that the assault be willful. The evidence is overwhelming that Mr. Cable did not intend to inflict the injuries suffered," Lieberstein said.
"There was a fracture that did occur, but it was not the result of an intended act by Mr. Cable," Lieberstein told reporters. "We can't prove it was willful. We can't just throw it by a jury and see what happens," he concluded.
Lieberstein said interviews with three witnesses established that Cable did not punch Hanson or make any verbal threats.
"Based on our review, it appears that during a discussion amongst coaches and Mr. Cable regarding Mr. Hanson's future with the Oakland Raiders, Mr. Cable became angry and rushed toward Mr. Hanson," Lieberstein said.
"At that juncture, one of the other coaches in the room stepped in between the two and Mr. Cable bumped into him, which in turn caused that coach to bump into Mr. Hanson's chair in which he was leaning back, with his feet upon the table. As a result of the force, Mr. Hanson fell over, at which time he most likely fractured his jaw," Lieberstein said.
"I have no idea how he broke his jaw," Lieberstein told reporters. "Something happened when he fell off his chair. It happened so quickly I don't think even he (Hanson) has a good idea what happened."
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.
The NFL was looking at the case separately 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.
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.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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