Report Links Green to Raiders

An ESPN report says that the Oakland Raiders are trying to get Minnesota native Lane Kiffin to resign as head coach and are considering former Vikings coach Dennis Green as a replacement. The Raiders deny the report.

Former Vikings coach Dennis Green is in a place that has been familiar with him over the years – the center of a coaching and ownership controversy.

This time, the controversy stems from an ESPN report that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis is trying to get head coach Lane Kiffin to resign and “is considering” Dennis Green as a replacement.

Kiffin, of course, also has Minnesota ties. He played at Eden Prairie High School and his dad, Monte, is a former Vikings assistant and now a long-time defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who recently signed an extension when it was rumored that Lane was looking to bring him to Oakland.

Kiffin, who left USC to become the head coach of the Raiders last year, has two years left on his deal. If he resigns, the team wouldn’t owe him the remaining millions on his contract. If he is fired, however, they would.

Kiffin declined to comment on the topic when ask about the situation at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., according to Chris Mortenson’s report on ESPN.

"I haven't really talked to Al about any coaching job but, really, how many times has my name been mentioned every time something goes on with the Raiders?" Green told ESPN when asked about the situation.

Green has mentioned his relationship with Davis before, and Green is also no stranger to controversy between a head coach and team owners. In his book, “No Room for Crybabies,” published when he was the coach of the Vikings, Green threatened to sue the former “Gang of Ten” ownership group for control of the team and then declined to discuss in detail what was going on.

The Raiders have denied the validity of ESPN’s report, with Raiders senior executive John Herrera saying, “There is nothing to it.”