Raiders' owner Al Davis calls fired coach Lane Kiffin "flat-out liar"

ALAMEDA, Calif. — When managing general partner Al Davis finally broke his silence about Lane Kiffin on the day he fired his coach, he had plenty to say in response to the one-sided verbal attack Kiffin had been launching at the Oakland Raiders' organization for months.

Davis detailed acts of what he called insubordination by Kiffin, read a warning letter he gave his coach more than two weeks ago and said he made the decision to fire Kiffin on Tuesday because the coach was "a flat-out liar."

"I just couldn't go on much longer with what I would call the propaganda, the lying that had been going on for weeks and months and a year and time," the 79-year-old Davis said in his first news conference in nearly 14 months.

Kiffin, 33, had a 5-15 record since being hired last year, losing his final game 28-18 Sunday to San Diego.

"I reached a point where I felt the whole staff, we were fractionalized, that the best thing to do to get this thing back was to make a change," Davis said. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."

Offensive-line coach Tom Cable will take over on an interim basis. The team has a bye this weekend before Cable coaches his first game, at New Orleans on Oct. 12.

Davis said he fired Kiffin "for cause." He told Kiffin he will not be paid for the remaining year-plus on the three-year contract he signed, a deal reportedly worth about $6 million.

"It didn't have to do with winning," Davis said of the decision to fire Kiffin. "It had to do with personality. It's the first time I ever let anyone go based on what I call [being] just a flat-out liar."

Kiffin answered a few questions after leaving team headquarters.

Asked if he felt relieved by the resolution to the long-festering tension, Kiffin replied, "No, not at all. I feel disappointed because I feel we came a long ways and really improved as a team."

The decision to remove Kiffin was more about his frequent criticisms of Davis' franchise as it was the team's performance on the field. Those critiques reached a peak when Kiffin distanced himself from the defense after a blowout loss in the season opener, saying that was under coordinator Rob Ryan and Davis' control.

Davis took shots at Kiffin's coaching ability, questioning his in-game strategies and several of his coaching and personnel decisions. Among other things, he said Kiffin objected to the Raiders using the first pick in the 2007 draft on quarterback JaMarcus Russell and insisted on receiver Randy Moss being traded before last season.

Kiffin told ESPN he was "embarrassed" for Davis while watching the news conference.

"It was very painful for myself and my family," Kiffin said. "A lot of accusations being made there, a lot of information being put up there, a number of lies. It was very hurtful and it was tough to stomach."

Kiffin said there were too many points made by Davis for him to counter on such short notice.

But he was clear on how he felt about the proceedings.

"That's something that I wasn't real proud to be associated with," Kiffin said. "I was kind of embarrassed for him."

Davis was front and center for more than 90 minutes, sharing the stage with Cable for some of that time and sticking around afterward to take more questions.

Davis seldom talks to the media these days, last holding a news conference on Aug. 1, 2007, shortly after coaching legend Bill Walsh died.

Davis is unable to attend practice as much as he did in the past and uses a walker to get around. But he dismissed questions about his health and said he still wants to win two more Super Bowl titles before handing the franchise over to his son, Mark.

"You're going to have to have me around for a while," he said.

Dressed in Raiders Silver and Black, Davis sat at a podium reading from notes illuminated by a large desk lamp. He seemed angry at times, blaming Kiffin for most of the team's woes, though he emphasized he blamed himself for hiring Kiffin in the first place.

"I think he conned me like he conned all you people," Davis said.