KIFFIN CANCELS PRESS CONFERENCE

While trying to figure out when former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin would be holding a promised press conference on Wednesday, we learned that the press conference has actually been canceled. Apparently, Kiffin’s agent and lawyer decided it wouldn’t be wise to respond in detail to the allegations made on Tuesday by owner Al Davis. And they’re right. Eventually, there’s going to be a grievance hearing. (For more on how it will all unfold, check out our latest item on SportingNews.com.) By laying out his version in excruciating detail now, Kiffin would have been giving Davis and his lawyers a blueprint (or, as the case may be, a “bootprint”) for attacking Kiffin’s case later. Of course, the same theory applies to Davis, and from the standpoint of pure legal strategy it was unwise for him to put his cards on the table at a time when he wasn’t required to do so. But, sometimes, folks who passionately believe in their positions don’t care about possibly having their words twisted around later, because they believe that what they’re saying is the truth. As to Davis, we think he was telling the truth. Even though it’s possible that Davis was factually incorrect on one or more points, he believed what he was saying. As to Kiffin, he has given an interview to ESPN, and he carefully avoided responding specifically to anything that Davis said. This tactic helps his coming case against the team, but it does nothing to help those of us who want to hear what he has to say, and then to compare his words and demeanor to Davis. And so it’s likely that we won’t hear much of substance from Kiffin until the hearing is held, and until the transcripts are made public or someone leaks the information. It’s a sound legal strategy for the former Raiders coach, but it’s a bad way to repair the P.R. hit that Kiffin took on Tuesday.