Romeo Crennel showed leadership in a dark time for KC Chiefs

Former Chiefs Head Coach Romeo Crennel has announced his retirement after 50 years of coaching. Crennel, who started his career as a defensive line coach for Western Kentucky, spent time with a handful of NFL franchises, including the Giants, Patriots, Chiefs, Texans, Browns, and Jets.  Crennel enjoyed immense success as an assistant defensive coach in the NFL and retired with five Super Bowl wins as an assistant.

In 2010, Crennel was hired as defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. The 2010 season proved successful, as the Chiefs clinched their first AFC West title in years and a playoff berth. However, the 2011 season didn’t turn out to be the sequel Chiefs fans wanted. The Chiefs finished 7-9 and head coach Todd Haley was fired after a disastrous loss to the New York Jets in Week 14.

Crennel stepped in as interim coach following Haley’s firing. In his first game as interim head coach, the 5-8 Chiefs stunned the then-undefeated Green Bay Packers. The monumental upset was hardly a sign of things to come, however. Instead, the upset turned out to be the highlight of Crennel’s tenure as head coach.

Romeo Crennel deserves appreciation for the way he showed leadership in a dark hour for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Crennel was named head coach of the Chiefs for the 2012 season. The optimism garnered during his interim stint in 2011 failed to transfer over into the 2012 season—a season that, in no uncertain terms, turned out to be one of the bleakest in Chiefs history.

On December 1st, 2012, Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. He then drove to the Chief’s practice facility and killed himself in front of Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli. Before Belcher took his life, Crennel—unaware at that time of what Belcher had done—pleaded with him, telling him he still had a chance, that life was not over.

The next day, December 2nd, 2012, the Chiefs defeated the Carolina Panthers—not that the result matters. It’s tough to revisit that game. It’s painstakingly obvious, watching the highlights, that the Chiefs players and coaches were playing through grief. Following the victory, Crennel said he tried to remain even-keeled in the locker room, focusing on the guys in the building and their well-being.

Crennel was let go by the Chiefs following the 2012 season. The 2-14 Chiefs finished dead last in points per game. They finished last in total offense. They had no answer at quarterback, limited offensive weapons (save for Jamaal Charles), and a below-average defense. The Chiefs made a big splash that offseason and hired Andy Reid as their new coach. Within a few years, the Chiefs would draft the greatest QB in franchise history and win a Super Bowl.

Crennel presided over the Chiefs at their darkest. He didn’t win many games. Frankly, the Chiefs were downright awful under him. That’s the football part, at least.

There’s another part, too. Crennel witnessed something horrific. He showed leadership in a time of despair. He cared about his players. He stayed the course for the rest of that 2012 season. He wasn’t in Kansas City for long, but he stood up when it was needed. These aren’t small things. Likewise, it should not be controversial to appreciate Crennel’s time in Kansas City. To say you appreciate Crennel isn’t to say he did everything right or that he was a good football coach, at least for his time in Kansas City.

How about this: “Thank you, Coach, for how you handled what you saw.”