Oakland's Tom Cable and the Media: Can the Guy Ever Get a Break?

You have to wonder if the media is truly bored sometimes.

Tom Cable, for the last two months, had been working under a cloud of controversy, stemming from an incident with one immature semi-coach for the Oakland Raiders. Speculation ranged from Tom's effort to join the UFC or that it was a lot of hot air by a disgruntled employee trying to blackmail the club.

After the DA's decision to not pursue charges against Tom, a good number of the Raider Nation collectively sighed, thinking now the coach could concentrate on his craft.

Then ESPN decided the last Tom Cable story provided so much enjoyment, they went digging for more dirt.

Two women, Sandy Cable and Marie Lutz, were interviewed by the ESPN program Outside the Lines and talked about how Cable had verbally and physically abused them. One case, according to the interview, was back in 1986 and another in 1988. A third woman, Glenda Cable, was married to Tom for 17 years and also claimed in divorce documents that Tom was verbally and physically abusive.

Until this last interview, that is.

In talking to Outside the Lines , Glenda said that during the 17 years of marriage, "Throughout the time I have known him, Tom has never been violent to me or our children."

What makes this case interesting is why ESPN in the first place started this witch hunt. Did they feel they were objectively covering a sports story, or starting a smear attack on Tom Cable? Did they lose a bet that Cable would be arrested and had to save face?

Then there is the question of timing. The most recent attack came back in January of 2009. If Marie Lutz makes mention of this, could Cable have been passed over for the coaching job of the Raiders? Or is this an attack of opportunity for Marie, looking for some retribution against Tom when she was running wild?

In the interview, it mentions most of her allegations are centered around an incident when she showed up at Tom's house at 5 AM and started pounding on his door. They weren't married and only dating.

If I showed up on the doorstep and started pounding on somebody's door, the people inside would probably call the cops, right?

As it was, Marie had her intentions set that night, by her own words:

"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," the statement said. "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.' "

Sounds like her recent interview.

So, here comes the question. Is Tom the horrible monster ESPN is making him out to be? Is ESPN overstepping their boundaries? Should any of the stories be believed, as by Tom's quote:

"More than 20 years ago, 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."

"...The incident involving Ms. Lutz, in which she came to my home uninvited, was fully investigated by the Alameda Police Department and I cooperated fully with that investigation. I never battered her in any way. The police concluded, correctly, that I had done nothing wrong and that was the end of the matter."

Sounds like ESPN is looking for anything to attack the Raiders....and Tom Cable makes the good fall guy. What's next, Tom Cable flipped off the band in seventh grade?

Note to readers: If Tom's actions are proven, it is inexcusable to abuse women. However, at this time, these are all allegations from one side of the story. We know how well one side worked with Randy Hanson, right?

Link to ESPN's story.