Raiders Release John Herrera, Who Is Now Free To Scream At Another Team's Beat Writers

The Oakland Raiders are undergoing a massive overhaul in their first offseason without Al Davis. They've hired a new general manager and are lining up an entirely new coaching staff. They've also reportedly parted ways with senior PR executive John Herrera, who has a history of being...excitable.

In 2008, Herrera got into an altercation with San Jose Mercury News beat writer Tim Kawakami following a press conference for then-head coach Lane Kiffin. Kawakami's version of the events goes as follows:

Here was my question to Kiffin: Given that there are reports (that Kiffin earlier didn't deny) that Raiders officials have told him he's going to be fired, given that we all know a Raiders official distributed printed copies of an espn.com article critical of Kiffin, given that Kiffin came to today's news conference without a single item of Raiders garb...

... How isolated does Kiffin feel in this organization?

(I know, a long question. But Kiffin was there with me on it. He understood.)

Here was Herrera's point: NO Raider official ever distributed such a negative article.

OK, since John is making a point of this, I can say that I know that it was Herrera who handed it out. I didn't write his name at the time-because, again, I feel for Raiders employees and the grunt work they have to do for Al's paranoia-but I will now.

Herrera, to his credit, went completely bonkers on Kawakami after the press conference. And by "to his credit," I mean "unprofessionally and unprovoked." You can watch the entire video of the altercation here. Highlights include when he violently shrugs away from Kawakami while saying, "Get your hand off me!" and referring to national sportswriter Mike Silver as Kawakami's "pot-smoking buddy."

Raiders fans loudly sided with Herrera regarding the incident. The previous sentence presented without comment.

Hopefully, the Raiders will install a PR executive who realizes that "public relations" includes the press.

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