Tag: fired

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Atlanta Falcons helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Reports: Falcons fire assistant DL coach LaTroy Lewis

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Atlanta Falcons fired assistant defensive line coach LaTroy Lewis, who is being accused of rape in Michigan, multiple outlets reported Friday.

The dismissal comes after Darko State News reported details of violent behavior, and screen shots of electronic communication between Lewis and the alleged female victim. The incidents reportedly took place when Lewis was an assistant coach at Michigan from 2023-24.

The Falcons put out a statement before Lewis was dismissed.

“We are aware of allegations regarding LaTroy Lewis,” the team statement said. “We are in the process of gathering information and will have no further comment at this time.”

Lewis, 32, was hired on Feb. 10 by Falcons new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

An Ohio native who played in two games in the NFL as linebacker for the Houston Texans in 2017, Lewis coached at the college level since 2020. Last season, Lewis was the defensive line coach at Toledo.

–Field Level Media

Ohio fires coach Brian Smith, cites ‘serious professional misconduct’

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Ohio University announced Wednesday that it terminated the contract of head football coach Brian Smith following an administrative review of his actions while an employee.

The firing was for cause, the university said, after finding “Smith violated the terms of his employment agreement by engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University.”

The university did not disclose any details.

He is the second NCAA head coach fired in the past week for cause. Michigan dismissed Sherrone Moore last Wednesday after an investigation by the school found “credible evidence” the coach engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

Smith, 45, was put on an indefinite leave on Dec. 1 after the conclusion of an 8-4 season.

His tenure as Ohio’s head coach ends one day short of a year. The school announced Dec. 18, 2024, that Smith was being promoted from associate head coach with a very different tone to its statement.

“Brian Smith exemplifies the essence of the Ohio University community,” president Lori Stewart Gonzalez said that day. “He is a values-based coach with an incredible work ethic who is relentless in his pursuit of excellence. He has been an instrumental part of our football success in recent years and will be a tremendous leader of our program and representative of our University.”

He was hired to replace Tim Albin, who accepted the head-coaching job at Charlotte after leading the Bobcats to the Mid-American Conference title in 2024.

Ohio will face UNLV in the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday under the leadership of interim head coach John Hauser, who assumed the job when Smith was put on leave.

–Field Level Media

Jets fire DC Steve Wilks after 48-20 loss to Jaguars

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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday following a lopsided loss in Jacksonville.

The Jets (3-11) surrendered season highs in yards (438) and points in the 48-20 thumping by the Jaguars (10-4) on Sunday.

Chris Harris, the defensive backs coach and passing-game coordinator, takes over as interim defensive coordinator with three games left in the season.

Through Sunday’s games, the Jets rank 20th in the NFL in total defense (337.4 yards per game) and 30th in scoring defense (28.4 points per game).

Wilks, 56, was in his first season with the Jets. He was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

Wilks also worked as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers (2023), Panthers (2022, 2017), University of Missouri (2021) and Cleveland Browns (2019). He has been coaching in college and the NFL since 1995.

–Field Level Media

Report: LSU to officially ‘fire’ coach departed coach Brian Kelly

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LSU intends to send former football coach Brian Kelly an official notice of termination, The Advocate in Baton Rouge reported Friday.

Per the report, the LSU board of supervisors met in executive session Friday and unanimously authorized new university president Wade Rousse to give formal notice to the coach.

This action is in response to a lawsuit Kelly filed against the board on Nov. 10. In his case, Kelly is contending that LSU is saying he was fired for an unspecified “cause” instead of for performance in an attempt to avoid paying the nearly $54 million buyout specified in his contract.

Kelly’s case also said that LSU was claiming Kelly hadn’t been legally fired when the coaching change was announced on Oct. 26 because since-departed athletic director Scott Woodward didn’t have the authority to do so.

In his lawsuit, filed in the 19th Judicial District for East Baton Rouge Parish, Kelly is asking a judge to clarify that he was not fired for cause and is entitled to the full buyout.

Kelly, 64, reportedly declined previous offers of $25 million and $30 million to pay off his contract.

On the day Kelly was let go, the Tigers were 5-3 (2-3 Southeastern Conference) on the season and coming off a 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M. LSU is 1-1 in conference play since.

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan paces the sidelines against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Titans fire head coach Brian Callahan after 1-5 start

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The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan on Monday after a 1-5 start to the season.

“After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach, said Chad Brinker, president of football operations, in a team statement. “These decisions are never easy, and they become more difficult when they involve people of great character. We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.”

Callahan, then the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, was hired in January 2024. The Titans were 3-14 last season under Callahan, 41, and had “not demonstrated sufficient growth,” Brinker said.

“Our players, fans, and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard,” he said.

Brinker was part of a new power structure installed at the end of the 2024 season, when the Titans fired general manager Ran Carthon. Carthon stayed for one season following a decision not to bring back head coach Mike Vrabel after two sub-.500 seasons.

As timing would have it, Vrabel will lead the visiting Patriots into Nashville on Sunday.

Between Brinker and the head coach under the Titans’ current, atypical power structure is first-year general manager Mike Borgonzi. Borgonzi is a first-time GM who spent 14 seasons in scouting with the Kansas City Chiefs.

There was no official word from the Titans about an interim coach or the immediate future of Bill Callahan, Tennessee’s offensive line coach and Brian Callahan’s father.

The Titans lost 20-10 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Brian Callahan said more was expected from everyone on the team, including rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Ward and veteran defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said the team was lacking in some fundamentals, especially coming off their first win of the season in Week 5.

“Today was bad football,” Simmons said on Sunday. “We didn’t play good today at all.”

Simmons said the team had a bad week of practice.

“In this league, you have to learn how to be able to stack wins and carry that momentum over,” he said. “It started at practice. Just being honest, this was probably one of our worst weeks of practice. We came out flat Thursday. Sometimes things carry over.”

Ward was not sharp on Sunday. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft was 26-of-38 passing for 222 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted and lost two fumbles.

“We have to try new things, and if we’re going to stay the course, we need to make the course work,” Ward said. “It’s really just both the players and coaching staff continuing to either call out a play and execute the play, or at the end of the day, we have to do our job as a whole. At the end of the day, the coaches, they can only do so much. We as players have to do our jobs.”

On Sunday, the Titans host Vrabel and his New England Patriots (4-2) squad.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers head coach Shawn Clark looks on before the game against the East Carolina Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Reports: Appalachian State firing coach Shawn Clark

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Appalachian State is firing football coach Shawn Clark after a 5-6 season, according to multiple media reports.

Clark, 49, compiled a 40-24 record with the Mountaineers, including a 3-1 record in bowl games.

Clark took over at his alma mater in December 2019 after Eli Drinkwitz departed to become the head coach at Missouri.

The Mountaineers were 9-3 in his first full season in 2020 and finished 10-4 in 2021. This was his first losing season.

Before becoming an assistant coach at Appalachian State in 2016, Clark coached the offensive line for Kent State (2013-15), Purdue (2009-12) and Eastern Kentucky (2003-08).

The Mountaineers’ season ended Saturday with a 29-20 loss at Georgia Southern.

–Field Level Media

Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Reports: Jets fire general manager Joe Douglas

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The New York Jets’ season of upheaval continued Tuesday with the reported firing of general manager Joe Douglas.

The Jets (3-8) fired head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and are 1-5 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.

New York headed into its bye week with a 28-27 loss at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Douglas, 48, signed a six-year contract to become the Jets GM in June 2019. Since then, New York has compiled a record of 30-64 with zero playoff appearances, continuing a drought that dates back to 2010.

This season began with Super Bowl aspirations as four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers returned from an Achilles injury. Instead, the offense ranks 26th in the NFL in scoring (18.5 ppg) and yards (294.4).

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen head coach Don Brown looks on from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Massachusetts 63-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

UMass fires coach Don Brown amid 2-8 season

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UMass fired coach Don Brown on Monday after a 2-8 start to his third season.

Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will be the interim coach for the Minutemen’s final two games.

Brown’s record was 6-28, including 1-11 in his first year back with the program in 2022.

Brown, 69, previously served as head coach at UMass in the Football Championship Subdivision from 2004-08 and compiled a record of 43-19. He was also the program’s defensive coordinator from 1998-99.

“I am extremely grateful to Coach Brown for returning to UMass three years ago to help us build back a program he once coached to a national title game,” athletic director Ryan Bamford said. “Don should have immense pride in the outstanding contributions he has made to advance Massachusetts Football during his three stops in Amherst.

“Upon his return in 2021, we shared a common goal to help UMass football attain conference membership, something that was realized last spring. Largely due to his renowned coaching reputation, Don legitimized our FBS program and Massachusetts football has taken positive steps forward since his return. We are structurally positioned to accomplish our competitive goals as we move into a new league and a new college athletics landscape in 2025.”

The Minutemen lost 35-34 in overtime to visiting Liberty on Saturday after squandering a 20-7 halftime lead.

UMass, currently an FBS independent, plays at No. 8 Georgia on Saturday before finishing at home against UConn on Nov. 30.

UMass is scheduled to join the Mid-American Conference for all sports in the 2025-26 season.

Brown’s collegiate coaching career began in the early 1980s and includes stints as the defensive coordinator for Arizona (2021), Michigan (2016-20), Boston College (2013-15), UConn (2011-12) and Maryland (2009-10).

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen reacts to a play call against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints fire Dennis Allen with losing streak at seven games

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Dennis Allen was fired as head coach of the New Orleans Saints on Monday following the team’s seventh consecutive loss.

Allen was 18-25 with the Saints, who won their first two games this season in dominant fashion over the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys before their current nosedive began.

The Saints named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

In a team release, Saints owner Gayle Benson said the decision to fire Allen was “very tough for me and our organization” but one “I felt we needed to make at this time.”

New Orleans (2-7) lost 23-22 at Carolina on Sunday, blowing a lead and becoming the first team in 20 seasons to lose despite an advantage of 150-plus yards total offense, rushing for 150-plus yards and winning the turnover margin.

Allen, 52, was promoted from his post as defensive coordinator to replace Sean Payton in 2022, when general manager Mickey Loomis cited his familiarity with the culture and roster as a key factor in the decision.

“This season we have had an avalanche of injuries,” Loomis said in the release. “It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses, he fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing. Dennis has been an integral part of this team’s success for the better part of 20 years. He will be missed.”

Allen was fired as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders after an 0-4 start in 2014 and then spent seven seasons as Payton’s defensive coordinator in New Orleans.

In two stints covering parts of six seasons as a head coach, Allen has never taken a team to the playoffs.

Allen is the second NFL coach to be fired this season, joining the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh (Oct. 8).

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A Washington Commanders helmet on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Commanders fire VP of content for comments on players, Jerry Jones

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The Washington Commanders fired their vice president of content Thursday, one day after his disparaging remarks about the team’s players and others became public.

The Commanders had suspended Rael Enteen on Wednesday for comments he made to an undercover reporter for the O’Keefe Media Group.

Enteen said that Washington’s players were homophobic, accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of being a racist and called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “$50 million puppet.”

“The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization,” a team spokesperson said Wednesday.

According to the O’Keefe Media Group, Enteen met with one of their reporters on a dating app and also twice at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., in June.

Enteen told the reporter that “over 50 percent of our roster is white religious, and God says, ‘F— the gays.’ Their interpretation. I don’t buy any of that. Another big chunk is low-income African Americans that comes from a community that is inherently very homophobic.”

He said some players are “dumb as hell” and might be more susceptible to conspiracy theories if they “get their heads knocked around a few times.”

As for Goodell, Enteen said: “I don’t think the commissioner of the NFL hates gay people, hates black people. Jerry Jones, who really runs the NFL, I think he hates gay people, black people.”

He also told the unidentified reporter that “most of the fans are high-school-educated alcoholics” and called them “mouth breathers.”

Enteen had been with the organization for four years.

The Commanders open the season on the road Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

–Field Level Media