Bills coach Sean McDermott – Apologized for 9/11 remarks in 2019،
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Thursday he regrets mentioning 9/11 during a 2019 training camp conversation with his team and “immediately apologized” to his players.
McDermott emphasized Thursday that he made the comments “to discuss the importance of communication and being on the same page with the team.” He said he “regretted having mentioned 9/11 in my message that day and I immediately apologized to the team. Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in the history of our country, but also a day when I lost a good family friend”.
As first reported by Go Long, McDermott asked players in a speech to model a rally similar to the 9/11 terrorists, asking players in the room questions about how the attacks were executed and referring to the hijackers who were on the same page. Several players who were on the team at the time confirmed the story to ESPN, while others who were on the team at the time told ESPN they didn't remember it .
When asked why he mentioned 9/11 and whether the hijackers were specifically mentioned as an example of a group coming together, McDermott responded, “He was mentioning 9/11 in the context of the team meeting. The focus of the team meeting was the importance of communication and being on the same page as a team.
McDermott, who spoke to the media at an unscheduled news conference after a roughly six-minute practice, said he referred during the meeting to “the realization of a horrible event more than anything and from a situation that I lost, as I mentioned, a family friend, really several family friends. That was it.”
McDermott said one player at the 2019 meeting made it seem like the coach hadn't made his point clearly enough, and as soon as he knew he decided to get back with the team to answer them. Less than an hour after it happened at the start of practice, McDermott said he told the team about it.
“I brought everyone together and said this is the goal, this is the intention, and I apologize if anyone felt a certain type of way as a result of this meeting,” McDermott said. “If anyone misinterpreted or misunderstood my message, I apologize. I did not do a good enough job of clearly communicating the intent of my message. It was about importance of communication and everyone having to be on the same page, ironically enough. So it was important to me then and still is today.
McDermott said some players approached him after the follow-up meeting and thanked him, while others told him he didn't have to. The coach said Thursday he plans to address the team later to make sure even those who weren't there know he apologizes and regrets his comments.
