Terry Pegula disconnected with Bills locker room during unhinged press conference

Read the room, Terry.

During a nearly hour-long press conference conducted in the wake of Sean McDermott’s firing earlier this week, Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula went off the rails.

He explained his emotional decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott and insulted a current Bills player during an unhinged performance as he answered football-related questions from the media for the first time in six years.

A true disconnect

At the outset of his time at the podium, Pegula reflected upon a postgame scene following the Bills’ playoff defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos that ultimately decided McDermott’s fate.

“My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” he said, adding anecdotally, “I looked around, the first thing I noticed was our quarterback, with his head down, crying.”

Pegula continued, “I walked over to Josh, he didn’t even acknowledge I was there. First thing I said to him was, ‘That was a catch.’ We all know what I'm talking about. He didn’t acknowledge me. He was listless.”

We’re live with Owner Terry Pegula and President of Football Operations/GM Brandon Beane for our end of season press conference. https://t.co/FrxVA8swVr
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 21, 2026

He added, “I saw the pain in Josh’s face at his presser, and I felt his pain. I know we can do better, and we will get better.”

So, based on Pegula’s read of the Bills’ locker room after that fateful day, he decided to remove a head coach who, as it turned out, was beloved by many of the players he scanned throughout the locker room that day.

In the days following McDermott’s ouster, several Bills players took to social media, vehemently expressing their disapproval of the decision to move on from the nine-year veteran head coach. It’s safe to say that Pegula’s choice may send ripple effects throughout the locker room that he failed to see coming.

MORE: Terry Pegula tarnishing legacy as Bills owner after mishandling head coach firing

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott talks to one of the assistant coaches during second half action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 28, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Calling him out

Additionally, Pegula took a veiled shot at a Bills’ 2024 second-round draft pick, wide receiver Keon Coleman, whose selection he blamed on McDermott and his coaching staff.

"The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” stated Pegula. “That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff.”

Pegula continued, “(Beane) has taken, for some reason, heat over it, and hasn't said a word about it. But I am here to tell the true story.”

Coleman’s first two seasons in a Bills uniform have been terrible, with a few disciplinary benchings mixed in along the way. Still, ripping a player on your roster is never a wise choice and may make future free-agent candidates think twice about joining a team with an owner who doesn't hesitate to publicly call out someone under their employ.

It was a wild day in Bills country, one that won’t be forgotten unless Pegula and company nail their upcoming coaching hire.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) scores a touchdown against Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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