Report: McDaniels irked by Pierce citing Pats' SB loss to Giants in meeting
Ex-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was irked by a comment new interim coach Antonio Pierce made about the 2007 New England Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants during a team meeting prior to his firing, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.
During a gathering to air grievances in which players "unloaded" on McDaniels, the former coach reportedly asked Pierce to speak on his behalf.
Pierce apparently spoke about the need to create a team culture, referencing how the Giants, his former team, famously ended the undefeated run of McDaniels' Patriots in Super Bowl XLII because they believed they could beat anyone.
After the meeting concluded, McDaniels reportedly approached Pierce and said, "Don't ever talk about the Patriots like that."
Inside scoopage of what went on behind the scenes that led the @raiders to fire head coach John McDaniels then.move onto Antonio Pierce as their new coach. #raiders @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/aLcymL3Gcy
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 5, 2023
The Raiders fired McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler partway through the duo's second season Tuesday night.
Players had been bypassing McDaniels and going to owner Mark Davis with their grievances, adds Glazer.
Davis justified the firings Wednesday, saying the Raiders were headed "in the wrong direction."
The owner will foot a bill of nearly $85 million by dismissing McDaniels and Ziegler, though some of those costs will be covered by offsets and mitigation, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.