NOW says Cable should be suspended

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The National Organization for Women says Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Cable should be suspended because he has a "history of violence" against women.

The Raiders said this week they were looking into allegations Cable had been physically abusive in his relationships with women. The allegations followed an ESPN report in which Cable's ex-wife Sandy and former girlfriend Marie Lutz said he had hit them.

"Tom Cable's history of violence against women raises a question: Why is he still the head coach of an NFL team? Mr. Cable admits having battered his first wife, and he stands accused of battering two other intimate partners as well," NOW President Terry O'Neill said in a statement Thursday.

Sandy Cable told ESPN Tom Cable once punched her in the jaw. Lutz said he had hit her three or four times.

"As a survivor of domestic violence, I know that women do not make such accusations lightly," O'Neill said. "Indeed, women have much more to lose than to gain by coming forward to tell their stories. The Oakland Raiders, properly, say they are undergoing a 'serious evaluation' of these recent allegations. At the very least Mr. Cable should be suspended during this process."

Cable became Raiders coach in the middle of the 2008 season. The team is 2-6 this year.