Jaguars fire Tom Coughlin
Tom Coughlin has been relieved of his duties as executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team announced Wednesday night.
"I determined earlier this fall that making this move at the conclusion of the 2019 season would be in everyone's best interests but, in recent days, I reconsidered and decided to make this change immediately," team owner Shad Khan said in a statement.
The National Football League Players Association warned players on Monday about signing with the Jaguars after the union won an arbitration grievance against Jacksonville regarding a violation of the collective bargaining agreement.
The NFLPA said one player was fined 25 times for more than $700,000 during the 2018 offseason for skipping team appointments, and former Jaguars linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. later revealed he was the player in question. Players aren't required to be at team facilities during voluntary portions of the offseason.
They literally hated me . I got it all back though! Thanks to the NFLPA https://t.co/vUIg5tsKvr
- Dante fowler (@dantefowler) December 16, 2019
The NFLPA also said more than 25% of all grievances filed by players in the past two years have been against the Jaguars.
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette revealed to Mark Long of The Associated Press on Wednesday that he won a grievance against the team to have a $99,000 fine rescinded.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season after a rift with the Jaguars, seemed to imply he disapproved of his former franchise's practices.
Tried to tell y'all 3/4"aTMi 3/4"aTMi
- Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) December 17, 2019
Coughlin is known for his hard-line management style. During his 12-year tenure as head coach of the New York Giants, he was known to set clocks five minutes fast in team facilities and discipline players for being late.
Coughlin left coaching in 2015 and joined the Jaguars in his front-office role in 2017. Jacksonville went 10-6 and reached the AFC Championship Game in his first season with the team, but the Jaguars have gone 10-20 in the two years since.
The 73-year-old provided a statement to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, saying he was "responsible for all things related to football" during his time in the front office.
"I take great pride in our accomplishments, especially in 2017. I'd like to thank Shad Khan for the opportunity to come back to Jacksonville, all the players and staff for their efforts, and the great fans here for their support," Coughlin said. "I was the first coach of this franchise and I will always be supportive of the Jaguars."
Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.