The NFL world was rocked Thursday upon the publication of a long-form exposé about the Buffalo Bills, and in particular head coach Sean McDermott, on Substack by independent journalist Tyler Dunne.
The three-part article contained several negative anecdotes about McDermott from his seven seasons with the Bills, most notably one from 2019 in which he attempted to use those who hijacked planes and committed acts of terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001 as a positive illustration of teamwork.
McDermott emotionally apologized for the comments during an unscheduled media appearance Thursday, saying they were addressed at the time and were addressed again that day after the quotes were made public.
In an appearance Friday with Colin Cowherd on “The Herd,” Dunne said his report about McDermott, which the head coach also criticized Friday as a “dissappointing” and “hurtful” attack on his character, came from talking to 25 players, coaches and staff members from around the Bills organization.
“There is an atmosphere, day-to-day, that as one assistant coach put to me, ‘You’re not just playing [another] team on a Sunday, you’ve gotta overcome your own head coach,'” Dunne said. “There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Another anecdote from Dunne’s report about McDermott said the coach had a very negative reaction when, in 2020, Bills wide receivers joined together to buy their wide receivers coach, Chad Hall, a truck for Christmas.
The video went viral at the time, but it prompted a comment from McDermott to his assistants according to Dunne was colder than a Buffalo winter storm, as McDermott told the group that he pays them to coach the players, not be their friends.
“That’s unheard of, I mean, it’s unbelievable,” Dunne said of the Bills receivers’ gesture. “And then Sean McDermott turns it into the most negative thing possible. Multiple coaches told me it was a dark day at One Bills Drive [the team headquarters]. Just one small example, I guess he didn’t really like the relationships…
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Publish date : 2023-12-09 00:56:29
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