Bills owner made call to fire coach in locker room after loss - ESPN

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula said he made the decision to fire coach Sean McDermott in the locker room after the divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos, as he felt the team had hit «the proverbial playoff wall.»

«My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,» Pegula, 74, said during a 54-minute interview session Wednesday with general manager Brandon Beane, who was also promoted to president of football operations this week and will have the new coach report to him.

Pegula, who took questions for the first time in at least six years, said the sadness of the locker room, quarterback Josh Allen's sobbing and other players' despair impacted him. He said he also told Allen that he believed the controversial overtime catch-turned-interception should have been ruled a catch for Brandin Cooks.

«I did not fire coach based on a bad officiating decision. If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year — 13 seconds, missed field goal, the catch. So, I just sensed in that locker room, like, where do we go from here with what we have? And that was the basis for my decision.»

Pegula defended his decision-making and the work that Beane has done over the years, often cutting off both reporters' questions and Beane from answering questions.

The owner said he made the decision to fire McDermott on his own, and it hadn't crossed his mind to do so until he was in the locker room after the game. Pegula said Allen did not have input, but he said that he did have a later conversation with the quarterback that he wants to keep private.

Pegula said the quarterback will be involved in the team's search for a new coach.

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