Lane Kiffin won't talk back . . . yet

And might not happen for a while.

The coach's agent, Gary Uberstine, said today that Kiffin would talk to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before he speaks again with the media.

Goodell may end up being the mediator between the Raiders and Kiffin because Davis made it clear when he announced Kiffin's firing that he didn't plan to pay the coach the remaining $3.5 million on his contract.

"When Lane initially thought it would be appropriate to address the fans and the situation it was before Mr. Davis gave his press conference," Uberstine said. "In light of Mr. Davis' statements, we advised Coach Kiffin to cancel the intended press conference and instead refute the allegations specifically in a more appropriate venue, which would likely be, among other things, a grievance with Commissioner Goodell."

Davis seemed to anticipate Tuesday that his decision to withhold pay would be challenged. Asked if his stance would hold up, he responded, "I wouldn't do it unless I was going to prevail."

Kiffin did appear on ESPN in the aftermath of the Davis news conference, after the owner called him a "flat-out liar" guilty of "disgracing the organization."

The coach, who went 5-15 in little more than a season, said he and his wife watched a broadcast of the news conference and were hurt and saddened by what they heard from Davis.

"It's something that I wasn't proud of being associated with," Kiffin said. "I was kind of embarrassed for him, to be honest with you."

He added that Davis denied his request to have a final meeting with his players before he left the Raiders facility for the last time.

"I got to run into a couple of players [Tuesday] and told them, 'Guys, you're right there. We're so close to winning these games. Just keep pounding away and keep practicing hard and good things will start happening,' " Kiffin said. "It's close to turning. Very close to turning."

sam.farmer@latimes.com