Browns fire coach, GM; Tomsula out after one season with 49ers
The Cleveland Browns fired general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine on Sunday.
Farmer, who joined the organization in March of 2013 as the assistant general manager before being promoted in February of 2014, was fired before Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that left the team with a 3-13 record.
Pettine, who was named the 15th full-time head coach of the Browns in January 2013, compiled a 10-22 record in two seasons. He was fired Sunday night after he said he was not told anything about his job status by owner Jimmy Haslam immediately after the game.
“I’m not into pleading,” Pettine said. “It’s something that’s what gets put out there, how we attack work every day, the players. That to me is the resume: how hard the guys play, the effort that goes in, how hard we practice, what we do in meeting time, walkthrough, out on the practice field, how that carries over to the game field. I feel like we’ve done a lot of good things, but I’m the first one to tell you — you’ve heard me say it a million times — this is a pass/fail league, and the results aren’t there.”
Haslam also reportedly announced the promotion of executive VP, general counsel Sashi Brown to executive VP of football operations at a Sunday night press conference.
The Browns released the following statement by Haslam on Sunday night regarding the firings:
“We greatly appreciate Ray’s and Mike’s dedication and hard work while with the Cleveland Browns. We’ve made this decision because we don’t believe our football team was positioned well for the future. We are all disappointed with where we are and we take full responsibility.
“We will approach the search for our next football coach and executives to lead our football operations with a clear vision regarding what we need to do to build a successful organization. We will be methodical in looking for strong, smart leaders with high character who are relentlessly driven to improve our football team, willing to look at every resource possible to improve, and who embrace collaboration to ultimately make the best decisions for the Cleveland Browns. We are fully committed to bringing our fans the winning organization they so clearly deserve.”
TOMSULA FIRED IN SAN FRANCISCO
Jim Tomsula lasted one season as the San Francisco 49ers‘ head coach, as the team fired him Sunday following a 19-16 overtime win against the St. Louis Rams.
San Francisco went 5-11 under Tomsula, who replaced Jim Harbaugh.
“Jimmy has been a valuable member of the 49ers organization for the last nine years,” chief executive officer Jed York said in a statement. “We all know he is a man of high character, and his contributions on the field and in our community have always been greatly appreciated. This entire organization is proud and grateful to have worked so closely alongside Jimmy. We all wish him and his family great success in the future.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported that the 49ers are expected to pursue New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton for their vacancy. Payton might be out in New Orleans after a 7-9 season.
After the game Sunday, but before the 49ers announced his ouster, Tomsula was asked if he thought he deserved to keep his job.
“You’re a coach,” Tomsula said. “You always think that. How you think about that and those things is irrelevant.”
The 49ers won their opener against the playoff-bound Minnesota Vikings before losing six of their next seven games. They then replaced quarterback Colin Kaepernick with Blaine Gabbert, and Kaepernick ultimately went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
Harbaugh led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in three of his first four years as head coach, including a Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 season. However, he and the team parted ways after an 8-8 season in 2014 that left him with a 44-19-1 record.
