Oakland dismiss head coach Kiffin

Kiffin joined the Raiders in January 2007 from college team USC

Lane Kiffin, the NFL's youngest head coach, has been been fired by Oakland.

Raiders owner Al Davis claimed he had "cause" to dismiss the 33-year-old and would not pay the $3.5m remaining on his deal which runs through to 2010.

Speculation over Kiffin's future grew after he fell out with both Davis and members of his own coaching team.

Kiffin, who had a 5-15 record with the Raiders (1-3 this season), has been replaced on an interim basis by offensive line coach tom Cable.

Oakland are tied for last place in the AFC West following Sunday's 28-18 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Davis said: "The best thing I could do to get this thing back was to make a change.

"It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."

The outspoken Davis has a history of hiring and firing head coaches, and Kiffin was his fourth appointment in four years.

In a brief interview on the NFL Network, Kiffin said he was "disappointed" over his dismissal.

"I feel good about where our players are," he said. "We left this team a lot better than when we got here. They're going to win a lot of games."