ESPN continues to hammer away regarding allegations that Raiders coach Tom Cable committed violence against a former wife and a former girlfriend. (We wonder what ESPN would be doing if the story was that Cable had sexual relations with female coworkers?)
Though the situation already has melted into a sea of conflicting statements and Colleen Dominguez reporting live from Raiders headquarters that . . . there's . . . nothing . . . new . . . to . . . report, the NFL has a real problem.
As we pointed out last week in an item for SportingNews.com, the league office already has fostered the perception of a double standard by not investigating the events resulting in Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson emerging from a meeting not with a list of things to do but a broken jaw. Now, on the heels of a massive effort by the league to support breast cancer awareness in October, the league has been confronted with a situation suggesting anything but sensitivity to issues affecting the fairer sex.
We're a bit surprised that reports of domestic violence have not previously arisen as to other coaches. The job is inherently stressful, the sport is premised on pushing and shoving and hitting, and households with a husband who is rarely around for seven months of the year can be incubators for resentment, infidelity, and strain. Frankly, we're wondering who'll be the next NFL coach to face such allegations if/when ESPN or someone else catches wind of self-serving statements in divorce papers or he said/she said allegations based on claims that the football coach acted like one of the many football players who get in trouble for committing violent acts against the women in their lives.
As to Cable, the fact that two different woman are making the claims enhances the credibility of each of them. One could be explained away as a case of "hell hath no fury"; two or more suggests that a more careful review is necessary.
Meanwhile, the statement Cable issued Sunday morning suggested that he did not receive an opportunity to respond to the allegations made in the Outside The Lines report. It appears, however, that Cable received an opportunity to respond to at least some of the charges.
Then again, it's not clear whether Cable had a chance to respond to everything -- or whether ESPN used everything that Cable, through his lawyer, supplied. We had major concerns regarding the extent to which ESPN handled evidence that tended to exonerate Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall on charges of roughing up a former girlfriend; at this point, it's impossible to rule out the possibility that the reporting in the present case entailed similar flaws.
But none of this changes the fact that the NFL needs to do something about Cable. Despite the possibility that the NFL has handled Cable gingerly for fear that the Raiders will react negatively -- and publicly -- to any effort to punish the head coach, the time has come for a confrontation between the NFL and Raiders owner Al Davis regarding a string of incidents that has made the league and the other 31 member franchises look bad.
Cable case presents potential mess for league office
Posted by Mike Florio on November 2, 2009 3:25 PM ET
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Cable is white... he will not be investigated or punished... it's sad
Does anyone actually believe the hispanic woman that Dominguez interviewed? Perhaps it is her flawed English, but in a prepared interview you would think that she could put forth a better effort to sound believable. At one point she says they were at a restaurant when Cable allegedly hit her, which prompted Dominguez to reply in suprise and ask if they were in public, but then she said they were in a car (or somethinig) when he hit her. It was not a very believable interview, which in my opinion reduces any credible "sources" of abuse down to one person... "hell hath no fury", as you put it. This story with the women is BS. It should be reviewed thoroughly by the league simply because it is under a national spotlight, but no action should be taken towards Cable for anything other than what allegedly happened with Randy Hanson.
Mike--You're letting that lawyer side of you lose again. Just keep saying "no more billable hours, no more billable hours......"
You know, Cable was a position coach in Atlanta when Vick was there. There has got to be a way to tie him to dogfighting as well, Florio. I'm sure you could dig something up. ESPN's story is lame, and PFT is no better for giving it consideration.
Jeez,
first it was Yahoo trying its best to get Cable to go to Jail...and now BSPN is trying its best to Cable to be punished by the league office....leave the guy alone. He's got enough on his plate dealing with crazy Al.
Football is a violent and high intensity business. Players fight in practice. Coaches fight as well. this was not the first nor the last...I guess they forgot that Buddy Ryan threw a punch at Kevin Gilbride on National TV.
This just in: Tom Cable causes cancer. Keep diggin ESPN, surely something you make up will come true. This is getting ridiculous.
TROUBLE. RIGHT HERE IN RIVER CITY.
So great, all this trouble in Raiderland.
Is Al Davis too old to use the line, "whatever!"?
The Chicago Cubs will win a title before the Raiders do. How do I know? Al Davis is Satan and he will live -- and continue to lose -- forever.
This is a case where the media was embarrassed by the Napa D.A. for proving their "reporting" wrong. A Bay Area newscaster said the night Cable was cleared that there would be people digging into Cable's past for dirt and now here it is. ESPN is a very biased service that has outgrown its usefullness. I very seldom watch it and encourage others to do the same. If the media wants to discredit the Raiders just let the product they put on the field do the talking and otherwise never write about them.
This "story" is ridiculous and ESPN should be outed and trashed for all their back room sexual problems.
Cable was cleared by the police on the most recent charge and the other one was 20 years ago. Next thing he will be accused of is dirtying his diaper too many times during his first year on earth.
Drop this story.
Whats Cable being white gotta do with it? lol....this story is soooo crazy, they should just drop it. As a fan I have more important things to worry about than his ex wifes or gf's making accusations. WHO CARES!!! Its about the game, lets get past it and play some football!!!!!
I'm shocked at the current comments.
Fact: Three seperate people have accussed Tom Cable of assulting them.
This isn't ESPN going around asking "put up your hand if we can use you to make the Raiders look bad". (and to Chapnasty: REALLY!?!?! That's where your mind went first? Race? geez.)
I can't believe how flippant people are being towards allegations of a potential serial abuser.
Really? None of you thought about how in the Hansen incident nobody denied that Cable had to be restrained from attacking Rick? But oh yeah! This is the media just being ridiculous trying to fabricate a story.
I recommend that each day you all do puzzles like crosswords, sodokus, or chess puzzles. You need to work out that muscle in your brain.
Id love for ESPN to do some reporting on their own antics. How about this:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1932286,00.html
There is so much sexual harrasment going on in that company its a joke. Yet they have the nerve to report about Cable hitting someone 20 years ago? Give me a break.
Here's the real story - the media as a whole are pissed that Cable got off scott free after the Hanson affair after they all went around reporting that he was guilty. So now they are trying to find ANY kind of dirt on him. Its pretty obvious this is whats happening.
Meanwhile Sean Salibury, Harold Reynolds, Eric Kasilisas, Steve Phillips, and others are all writing a book about all of the sexual shenanigans that go on daily at ESPN.
get over it espn. as said before i wished some one would dig up all the dirt on the sex scene over there. several times a year there is a sex related story coming out of bristol.
maybe i'll apply for a job there.
This situation has the potential to blow up in everyone's face. Say what you want about the alleged assault of Hanson, but there are enough signs that it actually happened that if these new allegations bear any fruit everyone from the Raiders, to the DA, to the league will look like they were enabling a coverup. That's what happens when you try to weasel out of things - it'll catch up with you.
The league, by playing possum, has put itself in a corner. The only way to disarm the perception bomb is for them to do their own investigation of the Hanson incident, do it properly, and then be as transparent as they can within the legal constraints the situation imposes. Right now what's at stake is the integrity of league disciplinary policy. Thinking this won't get used as a black mark against them when the upcoming PA vs league dispute gets public and ugly is foolish. It very much will be.
I like Goodell. I think he's done an admirable job given the difficulties of his role. But there have been a couple of times where it seems like the league, for whatever reason, decided to take the easy way out when disciplinary issues were at play. Notably Spygate and Starcaps. And invariably they've had to spend more energy working on correcting the perceptions this laziness has brought about than if they had done things right from the start. This Cable situation is exactly the same thing. Let's say someone else comes out with a Cable accusation. Or maybe one of those assistants or Raiders employees finally spills the beans re: Hanson. The headlines write themselves. Where was the league when all of this was going down? All the signs were there.
@obscenery
Fact: There was a situation where tempers flared, but there's no real proof that Cable actually hit Hanson.
Fact: DA considered the coaches credible and noticed multiple inconsistencies in Hanson's claim.
It should be a done issue after that besides the NFL crossing their t's and dotting their i's on situation. How do you NOT find it convenient and suspicious that suddenly these women show up claiming Cable assaulted them AFTER the case was done?
It was an interesting story to bash Cable on, but lets keep the bashing to one topic. The team isn't good and he'll most likely take the fall for it after the seasons done.
First of all, I don't trust ESPN to say the sun is yellow.
Second, the NFL should have taken action against Cable a long time ago.
# chapnasty says: November 2, 2009 3:38 PM
Cable is white... he will not be investigated or punished... it's sad
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A racist person trying to throw out the Race Card
JUST BECAUSE THE DA's OFFICE DIDN'T PRESS CHARGES DOESN'T MEAN HE DIDN'T DO IT.
it just means they didn't believe they had enough evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. and more likely didn't want to deal with the circus that would surround them if they did pursue a simple assault charge that probably carried probation with it.
it's quite obvious the guy is an asshole. unfortunately for the rest of us that isn't a crime.
First, there is no double standard.
Under Commissioner Goodell the NFL allowed the Panthers to suspend two time assault offender Steve Smith just two games. Smith assaulted a teammate back in 2002 which result in a court case. And a year ago Smith broke Ken Lucas nose on film at a Carolina practice session. The NFL did nothing
In December of 2008 Shaun Smith was accused of punching teammate Brady Quinn. The response by HC Romeo Crennel was that "if something did happen, we will handle it inhouse". The NFL did nothing.
Same thing with Cable and Hanson. The NFL did nothing.
No double standard anywhere under the current NFL Commissioner.
As for the other accusations against Cable. It's a witch hunt that needs to stop. If there was anything there, the Napa County District Attorney would have charged him in the Hanson case.
Funny how the Raider fans are all sticking up for this buffoon Cable.
And guess what?, 30 sum years ago at a Christmas Party I pinched a co-worker in the ass, she liked it by the way.
My point is who gives a shit about claims made from some 30 years ago that have never seen the light of day until now.
ESPN wants to spark my interest and do something for women? Do an extended report on how many women are raped by football players in College and in the Pro's that cases never see the light of day.
Florio oddly states:
But none of this changes the fact that the NFL needs to do something about Cable.
Just what is it the league needs to do, Florio? Are they going to punish Cable because people are going after him publicly? He might be a jawbreaking wife beater, but saying it doesn't make it so. If a couple of internet hacks are jealous of your success and start talking shit about you, will you be summarily banned from the amateur writer's club?
And 30 years ago Roman Polanski had sex with a minor. No big deal. Time heals all wounds, and counts as justice too. Ummmmm... right.
No, I don't think it's a coincidence these women came out after the Hanson case.
I think it's probable that these women behaved like many battered women do, and thought at the time that they might be responsible for getting hit, and that they loved their husband/boyfriend so they would "take one for the team" and keep him out of prison. I'm sure he was very sweet after hitting them and promised he'd never do it again, yadda yadda.
And then they saw the Hanson case after getting the perspective that comes from being separate from their abuser, and thought something like "Alright, he's hurt enough people. It wasn't just me, it was him. I have a responsibility to speak up."
Remember when all those kids came after that Junior A hockey coach who was molesting his players in Maple Leaf Gardens? That was also convenient, wasn't it?
Of course it was! Most victims think they're alone until they can see they aren't, THEN they feel empowered enough to act against their abuser.
I'm not saying he's guilty. I'm saying there is enough evidence that people shouldn't be insulting these women or being so flippant about their accusations. This is serious stuff, NFL coach or not.