Dolphins’ Players Not Happy With Sparano Firing
Added on Dec 13, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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Miami Dolphins’ head coach Tony Sparano was fired on Monday, and his players aren’t particularly happy about it. They’ve expressed emotions ranging from surprise to dismay at the loss of their head coach who had guided the team to a recent resurgence after starting the season 0-7.
Defensive back Will Allen gave his thoughts on Sparano’s dismissal:
“It’s like losing a family member. Obviously, everybody in our business understands the nature of it. We’re graded on wins and losses and, unfortunately, Tony was head honcho and all that responsibility was going to fall on him and he knows that.”
Injured quarterback Chad Henne added:
“It’s a shame he had to go out that way. He and Jeff Ireland drafted me. I wish I could have him for another year as my head coach because I respect the hell out of him.”
“We’ve been through a lot of the same things because it’s either the head coach or the quarterback who gets blamed for a lot of things.”
Placekicker Dan Carpenter took a more diplomatic tone:
“You know that’s a decision that has nothing to do with me. That’s something that Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross had to make.”
Wide receiver Davone Bass observed:
“It is what it is and it’s a business. Management and players, we all have responsibilities. If you’re not productive with what you’re doing they want to find someone who could get it done.”
Sparano took the high road with his statement:
“It was an honor and a privilege to have been the head coach for such a storied franchise as the Miami Dolphins. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me during my tenure with the Dolphins. It was a special time in my life, and I’m looking forward to continuing my coaching career very soon.”
The team did express their support for interim coach Todd Bowles including Will Allen:
“He’s my coach and he’s a great guy and a great coach. He’s helped me out tremendously over the past five or six years. So for me as a player it’s going to be normal.”
The Dolphins play at Buffalo on Sunday. There’s currently no NFL betting line on the game due to the questionable status of Miami quarterback Matt Moore.
