Packers Fire Associate Head Coach Winston Moss After Tweet Criticizing Team Leadership
The Packers have parted ways with ways with associate head coach Winston Moss, the team announced on Tuesday night.
“We thank Winston for his contributions to the Packers over the past 13 years,” interim head coach Joe Philbin said in a statement. “We hope for the best for Winston and his family moving forward.”
Moss's departure comes just two days after Green Bay fired coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers' third consecutive loss at the hands of the 3–9 Cardinals on Sunday. Moss was hired by McCarthy shortly after he took over the program in 2006 as the team's linebackers coach. Moss retained that role and also served as an associate head coach since 2007.
However, McCarthy's firing might not have been the only reason Moss was relieved of his role. The 52-year-old coach had sent out a tweet earlier in the day on Tuesday that was perceived to be critical of both McCarthy and the franchise's star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
In the tweet, Moss said that the Packers need to find a head coach who will hold "#12," or Rodgers, and everyone else to the championship standard that was set during the Lombardi era in Green Bay.
Philbin addressed Moss's tweet Wednesday in an interview with ESPN, saying the former coach's firing was more about finding the right fit for the team.
"It's never about one thing," Philbin told ESPN. "Again, I think it's important, as I said to the team, we've got to be professional, accountable, respectful and punctual. Those are the four things that we've got to do the next four weeks. And if we do all those things, we'll be in good shape. It wasn't about -- again, you're talking to a guy who's never tweeted in his life, doesn't even know what Twitter is -- so again, it's not about a tweet or anything like that. I just think the fit right now isn't where it needs to be."
Friction between Rodgers and McCarthy escalated throughout the 2018 season in part due to Rodgers's tendency to regularly change McCarthy's play calls at the line of scrimmage, according to reports from Sports Illustrated's Kalyn Kahler and Albert Breer. Per Kahler, Rodgers has long had the autonomy to change plays on the field as he saw fit.
During the Packers' start to this season's 4–7–1 campaign, Rodgers reportedly did so more often than then-coach McCarthy liked. This failure to hold Rodgers accountable appears to be what Moss is referencing.
The ousted assistant also alluded to his tweet playing a role in his firing by taking to Twitter once again to confirm that he was let go and thanking Twitter for playing a part in the process.
Moss added, "I have serve [sic] the Packers with all my heart and soul. I’ve given it my all. no regrets!
The Packers return to action on Sunday, Dec. 9 against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
