The Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis sacked Lane Kiffin on Tuesday, then launched a stinging verbal attack on his young head coach.
“I’m firing him for cause. I’m not firing him for any other reason than cause,” the 79-year-old Davis said.
“It’s not about a personality conflict, it’s flat-out accusation [of] lying and bringing shame to the organization,” he said. “It’s the first time I let anyone go based on what I call a flat-out liar.”
Kiffin expected to be fired but didn’t like the way Davis did it over the telephone and then went on television with intimate details of their conversations.
“I had a real sick feeling watching it. It was just real pain,” Kiffin said. “I was kind of embarrassed for him.”
Tom Cable, the offensive line coach, was named by Davis as the interim replacement for Kiffin.
Davis is attempting to avoid paying Kiffin US$3.5 million for the remaining years on a five-year contract he signed in January last year.
The firing ended a tumultuous tenure for the 33-year-old Kiffin, who became the youngest head coach in NFL history when he was hired.
Kiffin guided the Raiders to a 4-12 record in his first season after the team won two of its first four games. Oakland had gone 2-14 in the previous season under Art Shell.
Kiffin told ESPN that he was embarrassed by the Raiders news conference and added that it was “painful” watching Davis spell out a number of accusations about him.
“It was something I wasn’t proud to be associated with,” Kiffin said.
He said he requested to have a team meeting with the players to say goodbye but Davis wouldn’t allow it.
“It was a valuable experience,” Kiffin said of the coaching job. “I have no regrets about taking the job. It is close to turning. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get it done while I was there.”
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