Oakland Raiders’ News & Notes: Cable will be questioned, Parker gone & more
Samie Parker will not wear Silver & Black this season
According to several reports, the Napa Police Department has plans to question head coach Tom Cable about the alleged role he played in an encounter with assistant Randy Hanson.
Hanson was treated at the Queen of the Valley Hospital for a broken bone in his face. Cable stated on August 17th, “It’s an internal issue that we are dealing with, and that’s all I’m going to say. He continued, “I’m not going to comment on [what happened to Hanson].”
The defensive assistant reportedly told the police in a statement that a member of the Oakland coaching staff at the team’s hotel initiated the attack. Other news outlets have stated that Cable attacked Hanson during a meeting.
Just last week, Cable replied, “When all the facts come out, everything will be fine.”
Hanson has not been at the Raiders’ facility since the incident occurred and since, the case has taking a new turn because of his willingness to collaborate with the authorities.
This cannot be good news for the team, who is heading into their third preseason game and is wrapping up a summer of optimism.
Cable seems confident in his statements that all will be worked out and that his name will be cleared of any wrongdoing. But you tend to think that there is fire where you see smoke, and with the police now involved, and Hanson retaining an attorney specializing in employment law, you could see some more drama coming out of Oakland as the pre-season winds down and the regular season begins.
Never a good thing for any team, especially one that has the recent on the field track record that this one has.
WR OUT, DB IN
Oakland waived WR Samie Parker and inked DB Michael Hawkins.
The speedy DB has been with Cleveland, Minnesota, Dallas and Tampa Bay after being Green Bay’s fifth round selection (167th overall) in the 2005 draft. Hawkins made his debut in 2004-2005 with the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League.
Parker did not distinguish himself in camp and will move on once again, as he has been with 5 clubs in the last 3 years. The Raiders don’t have a lot of quality depth at wide receiver, but with the return of Javon Walker this week, and the expected return of Chaz Schilens in the first quarter of the season, keeping Parker seemed a long shot.
RAIDERS CLAIM DEFENSIVE TACKLE
In another transaction, the Raiders claimed DT Joe Cohen off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. They also waived CB Jason Horton in the process.
At this point, they are looking for any willing bodies to compete at defensive tackle. The front four does look good heading into the season; especially after the San Francisco 49eers torched them last weekend. Tommy Kelly, Gerard Warren, Terdell Sands and William Joseph were expected to be tackles rotating time once the regular season began.
But Sands looks to be a player near the cut-line with his ineptness and contract. Joseph was one of the few on that defense that had good glimpses last weekend.
NEAL NEWS
On the official Raiders web site, Lorenzo Neal is listed as “released.” And it appears both sides agreed on a injury settlement, ending any curiosity about the move.
