Tyler Dunn’s extensive coverage of Bills coach Sean McDermott on Thursday made headlines as a bizarre attempt by McDermott. Citing the 9/11 terrorists as an example of good teamwork. The revelations do not appear to prevent McDermott from working with the team.
Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com reports, citing four anonymous sources:McDermott’s job is safe.”
“At One Bill’s Drive, we hear that the 9/11 anecdote is ‘old news,’ so much so that it has become a running joke within the office,” Graham wrote, calling the event “a distant memory of what we learned from it.” ” he called.
This clearly suggests that those in power were aware of the comments, perhaps at or around the time they were made. Frankly, it’s amazing that it was kept secret for four years. Fortunately for the Bills, this didn’t come to light until the team completed its commitment to spend $600 million from New York taxpayers to build a new stadium.
Nonetheless, Graham said the disclosure of the 9/11 anecdote “doesn’t move the needle” regarding McDermott’s position.
That doesn’t mean McDermott will be fired with five games remaining in the regular season, which is becoming more likely given the struggles of the other wild-card teams the Bills will face. Still, this incident will be something fans will point out if the Bills don’t make the playoffs.
That is human nature. In many forms of relationships, we overlook things that would otherwise be problematic until we look for reasons to justify moving on. As long as the Bills are thriving, 9/11 is fine. When the Bills don’t, a four-year-old controversy (which is still only 24 hours old for fans of the team) becomes an even bigger problem.
The quickest way for McDermott to turn the page on this issue is to win. It starts Sunday in Kansas City. Then there are the Cowboys, Chargers, Patriots, and Dolphins.