The initial roster of coach/G.M. press conferences to be conducted at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis included new Dolphins G.M. Dennis Hickey — but excluded coach Joe Philbin.
Philbin has now been added to the list.
The Dolphins have announced that Philbin will meet with the media at 9:45 a.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. The press conference comes the morning after Philbin issued a statement in connection with the firing of offensive line coach Jim Turner and head trainer Kevin O’Neill.
“As the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, it is my responsibility to create an atmosphere that allows each player the opportunity to reach his full potential,” Philbin said. “As Stephen Ross said, and I agree, the language and behavior outlined in Ted Wells’ report was disappointing and unacceptable. Since I first arrived in Miami, it has been my goal to have a team which honors our proud tradition and represents our fan base the right way both on and off the field. It is not possible for a team to accomplish its goals when the fundamental values of respect are violated. That ultimately rests on my shoulders and I will be accountable moving forward for making sure that we emphasize a team-first culture of respect towards one another.”
Some wonder why Philbin already isn’t being held accountable moving backward. Even if he didn’t know about the harassment of Jonathan Martin and others (some wonder whether that’s true), Philbin’s failure to know speaks to a level of incompetence that could disqualify him from being an NFL head coach.
While Philbin apparently has survived this crisis, don’t be surprised if his role in the Martin situation is held against Philbin when the time comes to assess Philbin’s overall performance in 2014.