Las Vegas Raiders fans were fooled over the weekend; this time, it was related to a fabrication mentioning former interim coach Rich Bisaccia.
The Raiders found themselves enjoying their bye week, with most of their brass actively observing the college football conference championship games being held at Allegiant Stadium. Let’s not forget that Antonio Pierce still has five games left as interim coach. How the team plays and responds during this final stretch will play a part in whether owner Mark Davis removes the interim tag. Still, though, that didn’t stop a wild, unfounded story from making waves and making fools of Raiders fans. You guessed it, Bisaccia was back in the “news.”
Raiders insider Hondo Carpenter was quoted on his podcast regarding Bisaccia’s prospects of returning to the Silver and Black.
What was said about Rich Bisaccia and the Raiders?
“If Mark Davis is going on his gut, I think Rich Bisaccia has a very good chance. Not as good as Antonio Pierce and not as good as Jon Gruden, but a very good chance… I think Bisaccia is right there. If he goes with the input of other people, I don’t think Rich has a good chance.”
As you can imagine, publications such as RaidersBeat.com and content aggregators on X (Twitter) ran wild with the wording.
NEWS: Former #Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia is in the mix to be the next full time Las Vegas HC, per @SInow.
“If Mark is going on his gut, I think Rich [Bisaccia] has a very good chance,” via @RaidersBeat. pic.twitter.com/WljBua2HXs
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 3, 2023
Now, normally, you have to take things you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Regrettably, Raider Nation is prone to these types of things—a reactionary fanbase often is. Thankfully, there was a voice of reason who debunked this mess—The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
Bruh … the made-up BS is getting out of control. https://t.co/rgOFpDOgtS
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) December 3, 2023
None of this is a reflection on Rich Bisaccia himself. The man is a beloved and revered football coach within the Raiders’ ranks. In case you forgot, Bisaccia rallied the team following Jon Gruden’s exit and the tragedy surrounding Henry Ruggs III. He led them to the team’s last playoff appearance, so there’s that. However, there’s still a lot of football left. One search online, and you’ll see names such as Gruden, Jim Harbaugh, and even David Shaw trending next to the Raiders.
As Tafur said, let’s take it easy with all of the conjecture.
*Top Photo: NFL.com
Retreads And Nostalgia Acts Will Not Lead The Raiders Back To Greatness