Step right up John Gruden, you’re next on “Who got fired in the NFL today?”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer announced today that they have fired their head coach and also their general manager, Bruce Allen.
“We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise,” Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. “However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward.”
Gruden spent 7 years with the Buccaneers, going 57-55 including a win in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 over his former employer, the Oakland Raiders.
Unfortunately what probably sealed Gruden’s fate was the fact the Buccaneers started out the 2008 season 9-3, only to lose their last 4 games and miss out on the playoffs.
I’d have to think you’ll probably see Gruden’s name pop up in the few openings left in the NFL. Although I do wonder if some teams, the Cleveland Browns in particular, are regretting their decision to hire a coach (Eric Mangini) so quickly.
