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Oakland Raiders assistant Hanson says Cable could have killed him

Oakland Tribune staff and wire report
Posted: 10/11/2009 02:59:20 AM PDT
Updated: 10/11/2009 04:17:28 AM PDT

Deposed Oakland Raiders assistant coach Randy Hanson told Yahoo! Sports he could have been killed when an alleged attack by head coach Tom Cable during training camp left him with a broken jaw, two cracked teeth, a bruised knee and a bruised back.

Hanson, in his first public comments since the Aug. 5 incident, detailed what happened during a meeting with Cable at the Marriott-Napa Valley.

"From my blindside, Tom Cable threw me from my chair and into a piece of furniture that a lamp sat upon," Hanson told Yahoo! Sports. "He was screaming, 'I'll f--- kill you! I'll f--- kill you!' And I have no reason to believe he wouldn't have killed me if they hadn't pulled him away."

"If my head would've hit a different way, I might be dead right now."

Though Hanson's attorney, John McGuinn, recently called the incident "a textbook case of assault," Napa County district attorney Gary Lieberstein is still reviewing the investigation to determine whether to file charges against Cable, whose team plays in New York Sunday morning against the Giants.

Hanson also indicated he initially just wanted to put things behind him, which is why he wasn't cooperative with Napa police at the outset of the investigation.

"I downplayed the whole thing and didn't give them any names," Hanson said. "The last thing I wanted was publicity. I said, 'You know what the message is? The Raiders are back.'"

However, things changed once it was clear to Hanson he wasn't going to be able to maintain his role as a defensive assistant, and he met again with Napa police on Sept. 26. But, through it all, Hanson said has maintained his loyalty toward the team he grew up idolizing.

"I watch every game," Hanson told Yahoo!. "I want them to win. Once a Raider, always a Raider."