Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Why Tom Cable Is the Victim

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First, I feel the need to make it clear that I believe violence is only acceptable in self-defense.

Second, I want to say that if the allegations against Tom Cable are found to be true I would be in full support of him being removed of his duties as an NFL head coach.

With that said, let’s get to what we know so far:

Cable released this statement to the Associated Press:

“During my first marriage, I became aware that my wife Sandy had committed adultery. I became very angry and slapped her with an open hand. What I did was wrong and I have regretted and felt sorrow about that moment ever since."

Two women came forward in an ESPN report and accused Cable of abusing them.

One of these women was the ex-wife Cable admits to having struck, though her account differs from his. She alleges Cable punched her and that he hit her on two occasions. After the second incident she sought a temporary order of protection.

The other accusation made in the ESPN report is by an ex-girlfriend, Marie Lutz. Lutz claimed to ESPN that Cable struck her "three, four times." She added that she visited his house in January and found another woman there, at which time she demanded to meet the woman. She then alleges Cable grabbed her by the arm and eventually pushed her out the door.

Concerning this incident Cable was quoted in the USA Today as saying:

"I never battered her in any way," Cable said. "It is most unfortunate that ESPN has given Ms. Lutz this forum to revisit this incident when I did nothing wrong and further chose not to provide me with an appropriate opportunity to respond."

Cable’s current wife, Carol, issued this statement through Cable’s attorney:

"I was present at Tom's house when Marie Lutz came to the house in January of this year. At approximately 5 a.m., we heard someone pounding very loudly on the front door and ringing the doorbell over and over again. When Tom opened the door, Ms. Lutz told him she needed to talk to him, that she needed his help, and begged him to let her into the house. After she entered the house, the two of them had a verbal exchange. At no time did Tom commit any act of violence toward her. After not getting what she wanted from Tom, Ms. Lutz screamed at Tom 'I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] life and I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] career if it is the last thing I ever do.'" 

The police were called after this incident and cleared Cable of any wrongdoing.

Cable’s second ex-wife, Glenda, stated in her 2008 divorce papers that Cable was physically and verbally abusive toward her.

She declined to participate in the ESPN report but issued a statement through her attorney, saying:

"I have known Tom Cable for more than 20 years, including 17 years of marriage. Throughout the time I have known him, Tom has never been violent to me or our children. I chose not to speak to the media before now to protect my privacy and that of my children. However, I am very troubled by what is being claimed by others and I felt compelled to speak out about my own lengthy experience with Tom."

Donald Yee, Cable’s attorney, released a statement Sunday saying ESPN refused to provide details about the story when the network asked for comment. In this statement, Yee also questioned the network's motives.

"In our view, ESPN has quite purposefully chosen not to provide a fair and balanced story," Yee said. "To us, this represents ambush journalism and utterly fails to meet the standards and practices of responsible journalists."

The other accusation of assault against Cable came from co-worker Randy Hanson. Hanson alleged Cable struck him and broke his jaw. The Napa County DA released this statement saying they did not see a reasonable amount of evidence to press charges.

Regarding the history of violent actions by Cable, those are the facts, as we know them.

The phrase “innocent until proven guilty” keeps popping into my head, but apparently not everyone’s.

The vultures are out and they are circling around Cable. Fairly or unfairly, it is obvious that it is true.

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