What did Al Davis say about Lane Kiffin? Revisiting messy 2007 firing from Raiders after NFL ‘con’ job

Lane Kiffin’s name is once again making headlines as one of college football’s most unique characters becomes the center of a coaching merry-go-round.

The head coach of the Rebels, who is 54-19 over the past six seasons in Oxford, has been linked to both the Florida and LSU jobs, as well as potentially passing on both to remain at Ole Miss. Kiffin has suffered several messy exits during his career, including one from the Oakland Raiders in 2008.

That September, Kiffin was fired by Raiders owner Al Davis, who held an unforgettable press conference about the firing. During this time, Davis described Kiffin as a “cheater” as well as a professional liar.

Let’s take a look at the differences between Kiffin and Davis.

More: Timeline of Lane Kiffin’s controversial exit

What did Al Davis say about Lane Kiffin?

Shortly after news of Kiffin’s firing became public, Davis held a press conference that featured an overhead projector. The projector was used to show the letter he wrote to Kiffin during the season.

During the press conference, which lasted nearly an hour, Davis lashed out at Kiffin, even calling him a “professional liar.” Here are some of the most notable takeaways from it, via ESPN:

“I reached a point where I felt with the entire staff divided, the best thing to turn this thing around was to make a change,” Davis said during the lengthy news conference. “It’s sad because I chose that guy. I chose the wrong guy.”

At one point, Davis read a letter he sent his former coach detailing mistakes Kiffin had made on and off the field. According to Davis, the owner said he ultimately fired the coach because he “disrespected” the organization, citing several issues, including conflict over employee mobility and lying to the media.

“I don’t think it was any one thing,” Davis said. “It was a cumulative thing. I think the pattern made me nervous.”

The entire presser—which ran for about 45 minutes—is on iTunes, and it’s really worth a watch:

More: How Lane Kiffin’s decision will affect the rest of the SEC

Why did Lane Kiffin go to the NFL?

Kiffin was one of the rising young coaches in college football in the early 2000s. He joined Pete Carroll’s staff in 2001 and quickly rose up the ranks. Under Carroll’s leadership the Trojans dominated the college football landscape.

USC finished 11–2 with a win in the Orange Bowl in 2002, followed by two consecutive national titles in 2003–2004. Kiffin was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004, and coached players such as Heisman winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, and was considered one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in college football.

A former USC player told ESPN in 2015, “In the meetings, Lane was kind of a scientific genius, kind of the mastermind behind the scenes, and (Steve Sarkisian) was the SARC CEO and president…a terrific speaker.” He was the one who set it all up, he’s brilliant, offensively brilliant, and was very talented at communicating and building relationships with the Sark people.

Raiders owner Al Davis initially wanted to hire Steve Sarkisian, Kiffin’s fellow staffer at USC, but Sarkisian reportedly turned him down. So they hired Kiffin instead. At age 31, he was the youngest head coach hired by Oakland in franchise history.

More: Lane Kiffin’s every cryptic social media post

lane kiffin nfl record

Kiffin finished with an overall record of 5–15 in Oakland in his 20 games as head coach. Following Kiffin’s dismissal in 2008, the Raiders finished 4–8 under interim head coach Tom Cable.

Why was Lane Kiffin fired from the Raiders?

Kiffin’s tenure in Oakland was almost immediately filled with tension between Kiffin and Davis. Before the 2007 NFL Draft, Kiffin apparently urged Davis to select receiver Calvin Johnson. Davis instead chose quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and the former LSU quarterback is considered one of the greatest busts in NFL history.

Russell also retained his rookie contract and did not play in Oakland until that December. Under center, Kiffin turned to quarterbacks Deonte Culpepper and Josh McCown, who combined for 16 interceptions that season. The Raiders won only four games that season and finished 4–12, the second-worst record in the league that year.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Davis reportedly asked Kiffin to resign after his first season in Oakland. Kiffin reportedly refused, and the Raiders ultimately denied the report of asking their head coach to resign.

Oakland’s 2008 season got off to an even worse start. The Raiders started 1–3 through the first four weeks, suffering losses to the Broncos, Bills and Chargers. In mid-September, it was reported that Davis was unhappy with Kiffin and intended to fire him in the near future. On September 30, 2008, Mortenson reported that Kiffin was fired by Davis over the phone.

Davis fired Kiffin for cause, which was later upheld by an NFL arbitrator. This meant that the team did not have to pay him the remainder of his salary. He signed a three-year, $6 million deal with the team in 2007.