Tom Coughlin fired by Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Coughlin had been expected to retire

It really doesn’t concern the New York Giants, but the firing on Wednesday of Tom Coughlin as executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars is one Giants fans are likely to notice and have thoughts on.

Here is the statement from the Jaguars:

“Within the past hour I informed Tom Coughlin that he was being relieved of his duties as executive vice president of football operations of the Jacksonville Jaguars, effective this evening,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement released shortly after 7 p.m. ET. “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. I thank Tom for his efforts, not only over the past three years but for all he did from our very first season, 25 years ago, to put the Jacksonville Jaguars on the map. General manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone will each report to me on an interim basis. My expectations, and those of our fans, for our final two games and the 2020 season are high.”

Coughlin, of course, coached the Giants from 2004-2015 and won two Super Bowls. He had been working with the Jaguars since 2017.

NFL.com reported that Coughlin was expected to retire at season’s end. Here is more on why the move was made now:

Coughlin’s firing also comes two days after the NFLPA informed players that an arbitrator had ruled in the union’s favor against the Jaguars over mandating injured players to rehab and see doctors at the team facility during the offseason. When Jaguars players did not attend these rehab sessions, they were fined. This week, running back Leonard Fournette and defensive end Dante Fowler (who is in his second season with the Rams) won grievances and had their fines rescinded.

Rapoport added the ruling and the fines had to do, in part, with Coughlin’s dismissal. But overall, it was Coughlin’s presence creating problems in the locker room that drove Khan to make the move earlier than expected with Coughlin, who notably expected his players to show up for meetings early.

Check out SB Nation’s Big Cat Cpuntry for more on this story.

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