NAPA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was hospitalized Monday with a viral infection and might not return to the team until later this week.
"This morning when he woke up, from what I understand, he was feeling under the weather," Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said. "(It's) something he's been fighting for the last two or three days."
According to Knapp, Kiffin presided over meetings Sunday night and was present when the coaching staff reviewed Saturday's 27-23 preseason win over Arizona. But his condition worsened overnight and Kiffin, 32, was taken to the Queen of the Valley Medical Center for observation.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said it was policy not to give out information on the condition of patients. The spokeswoman also declined to confirm or deny whether Kiffin was being kept overnight.
Kiffin looked fine after the preseason win over Arizona but the team canceled a scheduled conference call between the coach and reporters on Sunday.
"I had a little bit of sinus infection myself so it's one of those things, I think, that just passed through camp," Knapp said.
The Raiders returned to practice Monday and most of the players were notified of Kiffin's condition before the workout, though some weren't even aware of the head coach was missing until they took the field.
"A lot of guys were talking during stretch and it's a first for everybody," Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "We hope he's all right."
With Kiffin in the hospital, Knapp and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan ran the Raiders' practice Monday, which ended nearly 20 minutes earlier than normal.
"Lane's been real good about delegating and giving responsibility to Rob and myself to help coordinate together," Knapp said. "He even told us last night, 'Hey Greg, why don't you plan out the next three days here of training camp before we get in preparation for the San Francisco game.' And it's something I help do going into this camp in the first place so it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"We may have missed a little of the enthusiasm and the competition thing that goes on every now and then, but maybe that was a good thing for the players two days after a game to let them rest up a little bit."
Kiffin, hired on Jan. 23 to replace the fired Art Shell, is the youngest head coach in the NFL.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
