New Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was the one to tell Hugh Jackson that he was letting him go, but Jackson is now saying that he believes his dismissal was ultimately the decision of Raiders' owner Mark Davis, son of the late Al Davis and the man now responsible for what his father built.
Jackson had this to say on his firing:
"I'm not going to shed one tear, because I busted my ass for this organization, and I cherished the opportunity to do it. I have nothing but good things to say about the Raiders and their fans, and I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish in two years, as an offensive coordinator and coach. But it's Mark Davis' football team, and Mark's going to do what he thinks is best. In the end I think he said, ‘I want to put my own stamp on it,' and he wanted his own coach."
Jackson said that prior to McKenzie's hiring, he went to Davis and asked if he could have a say in the search for the new GM. Apparently, Davis said "no".
"I told him, ‘Then I have a concern, because normally a GM that comes in wants to bring in his head coach. I said, ‘You can understand how that would make me feel,' and he said, ‘Yes, I can.' I gave him three opportunities to give me a vote of confidence, and he didn't give me one. He said nothing. I knew then that there was a chance, regardless of how things went the rest of the season, that he wanted to make his own mark in this organization."
Read the rest of Mike Silver's story at Yahoo for a closer look at the situation.
To discuss McKenzie, Jackson and the Raiders, head to Silver and Black Pride.