NFL Coaches Association executive director Larry Kennan admits things could have been handled better before he filed his brief supporting the lifting of the lockout this week.
“I emailed all the coaches to tell them we were going to do this. However, I didn’t do a very good job of communicating with the Redskins,” Kennan told Jim Miller and Alex Marvez. on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “It kind of caught them blindsided. Before they had a chance to read the Amicus brief and see that it was strictly about being for coaches, they panicked a little bit and maybe got some outside pressure to do something.”
The Redskins strongly deny that their assistants were pressured into making a statement. The Washington Post said some assistants feared for their jobs if they were seen as being part of Kennan’s brief.
Kennan made his remarks Friday before Saints linebacker coach Joe Vitt came out strongly against the NFLCA’s brief, saying their staff sides with ownership. The Saints aren’t members of the NFLCA.
“If there were a whole bunch of teams [protesting], I’d be concerned. I’m not concerned about one,” Kennan said. “I know what happened there. They didn’t have all the facts. A lot of us make decisions because we’re in a pressure situation and get caught up reading about something and don’t have all the information.”
Kennan says the NFLCA isn’t taking sides. (Huh?) “We’re for coaches,” Kennan said.
Unfortunately, coaches and support staff are getting the short end of this lockout and don’t have a lot of protection.