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The Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is firmly on the hot seat with fans heading into the final five games of the season. And a new report on a disturbing team speech he gave to players in 2019 is fueling the fire.
Go Long’s Tyler Dunne shared a three-part series entitled “The McDermott Problem” on Thursday, December 7, during which he spoke to 25 coaches, players, personnel, and several team sources whose identities remain anonymous.
In Part II of the exposé, Dunne reported that McDermott used the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as a motivational tool for his players.
McDermott addressed the media on Wednesday, confirming he gave this speech. “My intent in the meeting that day was to discuss the importance of communication and being on the same page as a team,” he told reporters. “I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day, and I immediately apologized to the team.”
The terrorists who orchestrated the attack, which left nearly 3,000 people dead, per the U.S. Department of State, inspired McDermott’s speech.
Dunne wrote, “At St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., McDermott’s morning address began innocently enough. He told the entire team they needed to come together. But then, sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection.”
“One by one, McDermott started asking specific players in the room questions. ‘What tactics do you think they used to come together?’ A young player tried to methodically answer. ‘What do you think their biggest obstacle was?’ A veteran answered, ‘TSA,’ which mercifully lightened the mood.”
When asked about the alleged speech, “One player’s eyes widen into saucers, horrified,” Dunne noted. “One almost falls over, clapping and laughing hysterically. One cuts the question off before it’s asked, as if pleading the fifth: ‘I ain’t talking about that.'”
Fans & Analysts Had Strongly Mixed Reactions to Sean McDermott’s Speech
The speech quickly went viral on social media. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio dubbed McDermott “Michael Scott,” referring to the character from the sitcom, “The Office.” One fan responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I can’t do this anymore. Oh my god. Buffalo doesn’t even deserve sports teams.”
Several fans refused to believe the story, claiming Dunne put together a hit piece on the coach because the team denied him media credentials. However, after McDermott confirmed the account, that argument was no longer viable.
WROC-TV’s Thad Brown shared mixed feelings on the overall report, in which McDermott is labeled a “narcissist” who never took responsibility for the infamous 13-seconds debacle.
Brown posted, “A fascinating read from Tyler here (as you’d expect). A lot rings true. Some smells of sour grapes. Framing playoff failures as a coaching problem ignores that the #Bills were often the 2nd best team. But the word that stops me in this is ‘fraud.’ And it pops up far too much.”
McDermott said he would not comment on the entirety of Dunne’s article but is aware of it, and wanted to address this part specifically. He plans to meet with the team today to make sure everyone “is on the same page, and even guys who weren’t here to understand.”
“Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country’s history, but a day that I lost a good family friend,” he said.
Sean McDermott’s Speech, Inspired By a Death in Niagara Falls, Left Players ‘Trying Their Hardest Not to Laugh’
Dunne also relayed a speech McDermott gave on December 11, inspired by a woman who purposely drove her car into Niagara Falls. The vehicle got stuck against a rock. “McDermott studied up and pieced together a speech,” Dunne wrote.
“The coach explained how members from the Coast Guard did everything they could to save the woman. He built up the drama. Players held on tight for an inspiring apex, and… nothing. He said the woman died. End of story. The complete absence of a point had some players biting their tongues, trying their hardest not to laugh.”
In present day, rumors have swirled that McDermott’s job is in danger if the Bills (6-6) fail to make the playoffs.
However, sources told The Athletic’s Tim Graham that there’s “zero” chance of that happening. Bills owner Terry Pegula still has full confidence in their head coach.
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