Raiders coach Dennis Allen gone then not gone in Twitter fiasco

Associated Press reporter Terry Collins on Sunday night tweeted -- then promptly deleted -- an item saying the Oakland Raiders had fired head coach Dennis Allen.

Associated Press reporter Terry Collins on Sunday night tweeted -- then promptly deleted -- an item saying the Oakland Raiders had fired head coach Dennis Allen.

Allen tweeted: "My sources tell me that Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is fired and an announcement could come as soon as Tuesday."

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That tweet gained traction to the point where ESPN reporter Adam Schefter retweeted it, adding "there it is." 

There it is. RT @APtcollins: My sources tell me that @RAIDERS HC Dennis Allen is fired and an announcement could come as soon as Tuesday.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2014

There was even speculation about who would be the Raiders' interim head coach. Schefter pegged the likely interim guy as offensive line coach Tony Sparano.

Collins soon realized his mistake and immediately began backtracking. He first offered a complete retraction:

Then tweeted this incredible explanation:

The Raiders fell to 0-4 Sunday after a blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins in London. The team has lost 10 straight games, dating back to last season. But Allen said after the game that he's not worried about his job security, according to ESPN.com.

Here's a screenshot of Collins' original tweet:

Twitter/@aptcollins

​- Brett LoGiurato