Tom Coughlin fired by Jacksonville Jaguars as team's executive VP of football operations
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ā Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired Tom Coughlin Wednesday night, three days after the NFL Players Association sent a letter to the leagueās players that revealed over 25 percent of the grievances filed by players have been against the Jaguars.
In a statement from Khan released by the franchise, he stated he intended to fire Coughlin at the conclusion of the season but decided in recent days to make the change immediately: "Within the past hour I informed Tom Coughin that he was being relieved of his duties as executive vice president of football operations of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I determined earlier this fall that making this move at the conclusion of the 2019 season would be in everyoneās 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 form our very first season, 25 years ago.ā³
Several players spoke out about the Coughlinās excessive fines on Wednesday. Defensive end Dawuane Smoot overslept and missed a breakfast meeting a day before the Jaguars played the Philadelphia Eagles in London last season.
Jaguars top executive Tom Coughlin fined him $25,000, according to Smoot.
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ā³In my circumstance, I missed something,ā³ Smoot said. ā³Iām going to swallow my pride, and I know I was going to get fined. I didnāt know the amount, and I would have understood if it was $1,000 or $2,000.
ā³But I was pissed when I saw how much it was. Thereās been a whole lot of questionable fines. Thatās a weekās check. I was pretty pissed about it, but what could I do? I had to take it like a man.ā³
On Monday, the NFL Players Association sent a letter to the leagueās players that revealed over 25 percent of the grievances filed by players have been against the Jaguars and ā³you as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.ā³
The letter came after an NFL arbiter ruled that the Jaguars canāt fine players for missing offseason appointments. The NFLPA filed the grievance against the Jaguars because the team fined former defensive end Dante Fowler 25 times for more than $700,000 for missing treatments in the 2018 offseason.
Defensive back A.J. Bouye acknowledged that he was once fined $10,000 for skipping a mandatory yoga session.
ā³I know what work bests for me as a player, and they didnāt want to hear that,ā³ Bouye said. ā³I remember one time I had an injury, and I got a little work done here, but I wanted to do all my work in my [hometown], and they were kind of getting on me.
ā³You never really know what youāre going to get fined for until it happens. Youāve got to find a way to appeal it and hope it wonāt happen again. Iām just finding out about who got fined all that money. I hate that it happened. People laugh because it doesnāt happen anywhere else. They just laugh at us when it happens.ā³
For the third consecutive day since the NFLPA issued its statement, the Jaguarsā front office have remained silent, with no response from Coughlin or owner Shad Khan.
Although Coughlin runs the franchise with an iron fist, the Jaguars have missed the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons.
Itās obviously clear there is a disconnect between the players and front office. But several players said coach Doug Marrone has shown remarkable compassion for their concerns.
ā³Doug is a straightforward guy, and I donāt think he shots you any crap,ā³ offensive guard A.J. Cann said. ā³He keeps it real with you, and you can go talk to him about anything.ā
Marrone said he hopes in the future that as an organization theyāll be able to address the NFLPA situation.
ā“You guys know me well enough; I can tell you what happened. The statement comes out, obviously Iām made aware of it,ā³ Marrone said. ā³Iāve got to make a decision as a coach. Do I want to dive into this thing, because I donāt know all the details to it.
ā³With the position that weāre in, for our coaches that are fighting for their jobs, or for the players that are fighting for their jobs, I made a conscious decision that I wasnāt going to get myself wrapped up in this, to learn everything about it, to be able to speak about it.ā
Instead of remaining silent, some Jaguars players are speaking out.
Bouye said Coughlinās excessive fines make no sense.
ā³I look at some of the rookies, especially imagining an undrafted guy who gets fined,ā³ Bouye said. ā³Heās going to get his whole game check taken away. Itās tough like that. I know in 2017 everybody was fined. It was just anything we didnāt agree with.ā³
Running back Leonard Fournette confirmed Wednesday he won a grievance against the Jaguars to get a $99,000 fine imposed last season rescinded.
Coughlin fined Fournette for sitting on the bench and showing little interest in the on-the-field play in the finale at Houston, even though was on the inactive list.
After the game, Coughlin sent out a terse statement, blasting Fournette and running back T.J. Yeldon for behavior Coughlin described as ādisrespectful, selfish and unbecoming of a professional football player.ā
Defensive end Calais Campbell, the Jaguarsā union player rep, described the number of player grievances to the NFLPA as a big number.
ā³Thereās no real issues, for the most part. Now, obviously, they donāt always tell you when the money gets taken out their pockets. But for the most part, guys just go through the process. I didnāt know theyāre having to go through the process that often,ā Campbell said.
Smoot said they discuss their fines among each other on a regular basis in the locker room.
ā³Itās always a constant conversation, who got this fine, who got that fine,ā³ Smoot said. ā³It has been that way since I got here. Iām happy we have that support with the NFLPA. They come here two or three times during the year and tell us anytime we have a problem we can call them.ā³
Follow the Florida Times-Union's John Reid on Twitter @JohnReid64.
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