Former head coach Mike McCarthy has remained quiet since his unceremonious exit back in December. The man who ran the Green Bay Packers for 13 years, winning 135 games and a Super Bowl. One can imagine someone of his stature received a proper sendoff for his incredible service to the organization. Nope. McCarthy was fired before the season was even over following a rough loss at Lambeau Field to the Arizona Cardinals.
While he knew the defeat wasn’t a good look, McCarthy didn’t believe he would be fired. At least not yet. There was still an outside chance, however slim, that the team could make the playoffs. It turns out new GM Mark Murphy had no intention of at least letting McCarthy finish out the season.
McCarthy explained to Rob Demovsky of ESPN what happened and how appallingly bad the entire process was handled.
“Obviously. It couldn’t have been handled any worse. Anytime you lose a close game, it’s a difficult time emotionally afterwards, but when you lose a home game at Lambeau Field in December, it’s really hard. And that hasn’t happened very often. I walked out of my press conference, and I’m thinking about the game, thinking about how our playoff shot was now minimal. That’s where my head was at. And when I was told Mark Murphy wanted to see me — and the messenger was cold and the energy was bad. Mark said it was an ugly loss, and it was time to make change…
…Every time I released an individual, you get your words right. There’s a personal component to it. You know he has a family. He’s family. There wasn’t any of that. So that was off.”
Mike McCarthy deserved a lot better than what the Packers gave him
If people weren’t entirely sure how spoiled an organization the Packers have become over the years, this story pretty much cements it. Here’s a guy who had just three losing seasons in a 13-year run that included a championship. It’s not like they were going through an outright rough season in 2018 either. They still had a shot at the playoffs going into the last month. Mike Sherman got to finish his last season in 2005 and he went 4-12.
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So it’s clear the “Packer Way” isn’t what it used to be. Most Chicago Bears fans won’t be upset about it. McCarthy tortured their team for too many years for them to have much sympathy for him. Still, it’s a sign that Green Bay may not be the pristine destination of the NFL it once was. Clearly, the new man in charge lacks a certain understanding of how to handle people.
Something that could end up becoming a problem down the road.
