Clark Hunt Statment: Crennel Out, Pioli’s Fate Undecided
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt has released a statement to the media. He has announced the firing of head coach Romeo Crennel, making that news official. He has also stated that the future of GM Scott Pioli has not yet been decided.
"I’m embarrassed by the poor product we gave our fans this season, and I believe we have no choice but to move the franchise in a new direction. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Chiefs. The entire football operation will remain under review, and there may be additional changes to come. No final determination has been made at this point on the future of of General Manager Scott Pioli.Finally, I want to personally apologize to our fans for our performance this season. We are blessed to play for some of the best and most passionate fans in the NFL and they deserve better than what we gave them this season. I want our fans to know that I will do everything I can to provide them with a dramatically better team – both next season and in the seasons to come – and our entire organization appreciates their support."
Here are the initial takeaways:
1. Pioli is not safe. Not yet.
2. Hunt said that HE will conduct the search for the next head coach of the Chiefs. That could be a bad sign for Pioli.
3. Hurry up and wait. If you thought there would be news of Pioli’s fate coming today, you are likely to be disappointed. Now that this statement has been released it is hard to imagine Pioli being fired today, though you never know.
I don’t understand Hunt’s angle here. He’s basically just announced that he doesn’t trust Pioli to hire the next head coach. What is the point in keeping Pioli on?
Is Hunt waiting to see what GM candidates come available? How can he hire a head coach without that head coach knowing who his boss is going to be? Is Hunt going to keep Pioli but strip him of major powers and assign them to the new head coach?
I just don’t understand.