Charges awaiting Raiders' coach?

By Sam Stanton
The Sacramento Bee

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NAPA — The case has generated so many calls the Napa County district attorney had to install a recorded hotline for updates.

The commissioner of the NFL has weighed in, blogs offer daily "scoops" based on unnamed sources and talk radio is swamped with callers asking whether the Oakland Raiders head coach will face charges for allegedly attacking an assistant.

All this on top of being one of the worst team in professional football.

As prosecutors move closer to deciding whether to charge head coach Tom Cable in the assault of assistant coach Randy Hanson on Aug. 5, speculation is mounting that the delay may be due to a deal being worked out.

"We are continuing to review the matter," said Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein on his recorded message, adding he might have an update Monday.

"Sounds like they're working on some type of compromise," said veteran Sacramento federal prosecutor and defense attorney William J. Portanova.

"In the ordinary course of events, an assault and battery is investigated in a matter of hours ... The attorneys are probably all talking and trying to figure out a global resolution for any potential criminal charges and any potential settlement."

If they are, it's a secret, which won't surprise Raider watchers. The team has always been secretive, like its owner, Al Davis.

Even as the Raiders failures have piled up on the field, the case has continued to draw attention.

Originally, it appeared the case would quietly disappear. On Aug. 6, medical personnel summoned Napa police to a local hospital, where Hanson was being treated for a fractured jaw and other injuries.

Hanson told police he had been assaulted by a member of the Raiders staff, but he did not want to press charges or identify his assailant. Police would ultimately confirm the altercation between Cable and Hanson occurred the previous day during training camp.

After interviewing Hanson, the police decided there was not enough evidence to proceed and closed the case.

Then, the whole thing blew up. Web sites began posting information about the alleged attacks and, by Aug. 21, Napa police had reopened the investigation.

Hanson, who has been coaching since he was a graduate assistant at the University of Washington, has worked for the Vikings and Rams and was in his third year with the Raiders.

As the case became public, players called the 41-year-old coach "a good guy," and "a hard worker."

"He may be misconstrued how he takes things, but he's an overall good guy." said safety Hiram Eugene.

Like Cable, Hanson is a holdover from the staff of Lane Kiffin, who was fired four games into the 2008 season. Kiffin had wanted to fire Hanson, but team owner Al Davis had stopped him.

Cable, 44, came to the Raiders in 2007 after being offensive line coach in Atlanta and offensive coordinator at UCLA. After Kiffin's firing, he took over.

Cable is old-school, a former offensive lineman who favors pounding opponents. Such football is called "smashmouth."

Napa police moved methodically after reopening the case, not submitting it to the district attorney for review until Oct. 5. Since then, officials have been tight-lipped.

Hanson's San Francisco-based attorney, John McGuinn, an expert in personal injury cases, did not return telephone calls last week. But he has called it a "textbook case of felony assault."

Cable has declined to discuss the incident beyond initially denying any punches were thrown.

Hanson also had remained silent until last week, when he talked for a story on Yahoo Sports and spoke to veteran sportswriter Michael Silver. Hanson said Cable had blindsided him, throwing him from a chair and screaming "I'll (expletive) kill you!"

Team owner Davis has had little to say. But on Sept. 12, as the team announced the signing of lineman Richard Seymour, he opened up:

"I don't know much about it. I don't expect anything to happen. I hope nothing happens, let's put it that way. That's what we don't need right now."