ALAMEDA – Appearing more relieved than vindicated, Raiders coach Tom Cable spoke publicly Friday for the first time since it was announced he would not face criminal charges for allegedly assaulting former assistant Randy Hanson.
Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said Thursday afternoon he didn't pursue charges because of inconsistencies in Hanson's story of how he received a broken jaw and the failure of three witnesses to corroborate Hanson's version of events during a heated training camp coaches meeting at the Napa Marriott on Aug. 5.
"OK, the whole experience was interesting to me, humbling to me," Cable said following Friday's morning practice in preparation for Sunday's home game against the New York Jets. "I'm obviously very thankful that the authorities did the thoroughness that they did in terms of getting the facts and all that.
"Other than that, really, my family and friends really supported me through it. (I) never let it become a distraction because, as I mentioned many times, I just had a lot of faith. I knew what happened."
Hanson had contended that Cable assaulted him and threatened to kill him but was warded off by the three other assistants in the room – defensive coordinator John Marshall, defensive backs coach Lionel Washington and defensive backs assistant Willie Brown.
According to the district attorney's investigation, Cable lunged at Hanson, who was sitting in a seat with his feet on a table, but was intercepted by Washington. The momentum caused Washington to bump Hanson, who then fell out of his chair. X-rays later showed a broken jaw, but Lieberstein said he could not be sure what caused the injury.
"What's a relief to the staff (is) we're happy for Tom that that's off his back," Marshall said. "It never has been an issue. It has never, ever been talked about at any meeting or even among the coaches.
"You always have to be happy when the truth comes out and it prevails. I felt in my heart it was just a matter of getting all the facts cleared up."
Lieberstein interviewed Marshall, Washington and Brown, but Cable chose not to talk with the authorities.
"I felt if I do that, I'm getting involved, I become part of the turmoil, part of the issue, and it grows," Cable said. "That's not what I'm here to do. I'm here to be the Oakland Raiders' football coach and get this team to win and turn it around. That needed to be my focus, and I think it was. I think we handled that the right way."
Players, too, have maintained that Cable's potential legal woes have not been a distraction.
"The way I look at it is, it didn't happen on the field, so it doesn't even matter," said cornerback Stanford Routt, who has maintained a personal relationship with Hanson. "We only worry about what happens between those white lines."
Cable potentially still faces discipline from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Hanson's lawyer, John McGuinn, said a civil case is "on the horizon."
Call The Bee's Paul Gutierrez, (916) 326-5556, and read his Raiders blog and more on the team at www.sacbee.com/raiders.
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