Nobody is more surprised at Sam Wyche's departure than his players, who were counting on him to return for his ninth year as Cincinnati Bengals head coach.
Wyche told his players following a 29-7 victory last Sunday over New England that he'd be back next year. They were stunned to hear Tuesday that Wyche had either been fired or had resigned."We thought he was definitely coming back," safety Barney Bussey said. "He said he was looking forward to next season."
An annual postseason meeting with general manager Mike Brown turned into a showdown Tuesday morning. Wyche evidently demanded a bigger role in team operations. Brown wouldn't budge, and Wyche was gone.
If he quit, Wyche would forfeit the final two years on his contract, worth $1 million. If he was fired, the Bengals would have to pay him. That squabble will be left to the lawyers to thrash out.
Wyche's players were mystified by the conflicting accounts and disappointed that Wyche's meeting with Brown went so badly.
"He wanted more say-so as far as draft choices," Bussey said. "You don't know what was said between him and Mike, but I'm pretty sure there was some kind of disagreement there.
"From all indications, the defensive staff was gone and Sam was coming back. But in the back of our minds, we knew Sam might quit if he didn't get what he wanted."
The way it happened was surprising.
"I'm confused as well as everybody in Cincinnati," safety David Fulcher said. "It's upsetting.
"I'm disappointed if they let Sam go, and if Sam quit, then I'm mad because I never saw any quit in this guy. If he quit, the pressure had to throw him out."