Raider Players: Callahan Fired

The Oakland Raiders held off making an announcement on the status of Coach Bill Callahan on Tuesday, but some players said he had been fired.

“Coach Callahan requested that for personal and family reasons the club make no announcement today, and we will honor his request,� Raider Chief Executive Amy Trask told Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Raiders finished a 4-12 season that was the team’s worst since 1997 only a year after Callahan led them to the Super Bowl in his first season as coach.

Callahan was in a meeting at the team’s headquarters Tuesday afternoon, but his office later said he had left for the day. A call to his agent, Gary O’Hagan, was not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

Callahan’s son, Brian, is a freshman backup quarterback for UCLA and was playing in the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose on Tuesday night.

“I’m just sad about how everything happened,� Oakland center Barret Robbins told AP on Tuesday evening. “It was hard not to [support him], because he gave me an opportunity to come back.�

The Contra Costa Times, quoting sources, reported on its Web site Tuesday afternoon that Callahan had been fired.

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Minnesota Viking owner Red McCombs’ silence led many people, including Mike Tice himself, to believe he was about to fire the head coach.

But after waiting two days, McCombs said Tice would return next season and wondered what all the fuss was about.

McCombs, in a conference call, insisted he never had thoughts of replacing Tice -- or anyone else on the staff.

A 3-7 finish by the Vikings, including a fourth-quarter failure in an 18-17 defeat at Arizona on Sunday that kept them out of the playoffs, prompted speculation Tice could be fired.

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Although he didn’t start until the season finale, Terrell Suggs was so impressive for the Baltimore Ravens that he earned the Associated Press’ NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Arizona Cardinal receiver Anquan Boldin was named the AP’s offensive rookie of the year.

Suggs, an outside linebacker with a pass-rushing burst reminiscent of Lawrence Taylor, had 12 sacks out of a 3-4 alignment in which he often served as an end.

Boldin finished third in the NFL with 101 catches, tying the Cardinals’ franchise record and easily breaking the NFL rookie record of 90 receptions set by Terry Glenn in 1996.

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A state appellate court has ruled in favor of the city of San Diego in a case that could hamper the Chargers’ bid to get a new stadium in San Diego or relocate, potentially to Los Angeles.

The court ruled that the lawsuit filed by the Chargers in Los Angeles last month should be moved to San Diego, as San Diego city officials had argued.

The Chargers, who are suing not for money but so a judge can determine whether they have satisfied the requirements to terminate their Qualcomm Stadium lease, say they do not plan to push forward with their bid to have the case heard in L.A.

� ... Instead of getting bogged down in a dispute over the location of the lawsuit, the Chargers have decided that the best way to get to the heart of the matter quickly is to not oppose the city’s motion and have the lawsuit transferred to San Diego,� said Mark Fabiani, the team’s point man for stadium issues, in a statement.

San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy said he was not surprised that the Chargers agreed that the lawsuit should be tried before a San Diego judge.

“The Chargers are just conceding that they would have lost the [change of venue] motion,� said Murphy, a former Superior Court judge. “I think they’re trying to put a positive spin on it.�

Despite his hard-line approach on the lawsuit, Murphy said he remains guardedly optimistic that the talks between the city and Chargers could bring a settlement.

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New York Jet Coach Herman Edwards shook up his staff by firing defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and three assistants.