Unexpected information: The head coach of Houston was reportedly having an affair with the wife of a key player.

On Sunday, February 11, 2024, in Arlington, Texas, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, head coach DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans watched from the sidelines.

 

Houston (AP) Even though his fate was probably predetermined, Ryan persevered to help the Houston Texans win in the penultimate game of a miserable season.

After just one season in which the team finished 3-13-1, Smith was let go as the Texans’ head coach on Sunday night.

The Texans have fired a coach after one season for the second consecutive season. David Culley had a 4-13 season in his lone season before they parted ways with him in January of last year.

General manager Nick Caserio acknowledged the team’s decision to part ways with Smith in a statement, saying, “I’m constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time.

“It is my duty to create a thorough, competitive program that can maintain success over an extended period of time. Although we’re not there yet, I’m confident in the direction our football program will take going forward, thanks to the resources at our disposal and the support of the McNair family, the team’s owner.”

Following Sunday’s victory at Indianapolis, Smith was questioned about his future and gave the impression that he would be back the following year.

He stated, “We comprehend the entirety of the season.” “Do I anticipate returning? Yes, I definitely plan to return.”

For the majority of the season, the Texans had the worst record in the league. However, they have won two of their last three games, most notably their victory over the Colts on Sunday, which cost them the first overall pick in the following year’s draft. Chicago received the first pick in the April draft, while Houston was left to select second after their 32-31 victory over Indianapolis.

With fifty seconds remaining on Sunday against the Colts, Davis Mills connected with Jordan Akins on a 28-yard touchdown pass. The Texans took the lead for good when Mills found Akins once more for the 2-point conversion.

Smith was asked if Houston’s chances of receiving the first pick in the draft were destroyed by the victory.

“So, you’re saying, Hey, guys, you play to win, forget that, lose the game on purpose, and this is the last game you’ve been working on for your entire life,” Smith remarked. “I believe it would be difficult to pass that one. They wouldn’t anticipate that from me. I didn’t. Our weekly strategy is to win the match. That’s kind of the simple part. That is what we actually did today.”

The 64-year-old Smith, along with Todd Bowles of Tampa Bay, Mike Tomlin of Pittsburgh, and biracial Mike McDaniel of Miami, was one of the few black coaches in the NFL. In a league where black players predominate, the league mandates that teams interview at least one minority applicant for head coaching positions. However, the league has long since failed to meet its objective of increasing the proportion of black coaches.

Before being appointed head coach of the Texans, Culley—who is also black—worked as an assistant for more than 40 years in both college and the NFL.

The Texans’ decision to fire two coaches—one after only one season—was swiftly criticized. Neither coach had many established players on their rosters, and neither had any stars. In addition, they had to deal with Mills, a young quarterback lacking experience, as Deshaun Watson was traded to Cleveland prior to the current season, having requested a trade before his accusations of sexual misconduct became public and sitting out the previous campaign.

Hall of Famer Tony Dungy questioned who would want to take over as Houston’s head coach going forward. Dungy was the first black coach to win a Super Bowl and had a 148-79 record in 13 seasons as an NFL coach.

Dungy wrote on Twitter on Sunday night, “What are the Texans doing?” “What kind of business is this if you don’t believe in backing the coaches you select? If you might have a year to put your plans into action, who will want to coach you there? It’s absurd to have two years in a row.”

The second overall selection in the 2012 draft, Robert Griffin III, who won a division championship with Washington, tweeted: “After one season, Lovie Smith was fired by the Houston Texans.” Nobody should be comfortable with using two Black Head coaches to tank and then firing them after a year.”

In addition, 13-year NFL veteran Fred Taylor took aim at the Texas team, claiming on Twitter that hiring Smith was a calculated move to maintain their public image in the wake of criticism over rumors that they intended to bring in Josh McCown, a former quarterback without coaching background.

“Hiring Lovie Smith to an extremely untalented Texans team was only done to save face, checklist the Rooney rule, and erase the racial accusations it faced less than a year ago,” Taylor wrote on Twitter. Furthermore, it demonstrates their lack of integrity that they fired him less than a year after the team rebuilt. Absurd!

After just one season, a team has fired its head coach three times since the merger—the last two times occurring in quick succession. From 1976 to 1978, the 49ers let go of Monte Clark, Ken Meyer, and Pete McCulley in order to make room for Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly in 2015 and 2016.

After one season as the team’s defensive coordinator, Smith was elevated to the position of head coach. Having served as head coach for twelve seasons—nine with the Bears and two with Tampa Bay—he has a career record of 92-100-1.

By way of a statement, Texans owner Cal McNair said that he and Caserio notified Smith of the change on Sunday night and expressed gratitude for his “contributions over the last two seasons.”

“We are grateful for his leadership and character, and we wish him the best moving forward,” McNair stated. “Although we acknowledge that the outcomes have not met our expectations, we remain dedicated to developing a program that yields enduring, sustainable achievements.” We should have a team that the city and its supporters can be proud of. Throughout this process, I will collaborate with Nick Caserio, and I have no doubt that we will identify the ideal leader for our football team.”

The Texans will have a fourth head coach in as many years after his dismissal. Following his dismissal as coach in 2020 following a four-game losing streak in his seventh season in Houston, Culley was brought on board.

The Texans have let go of a coach after just one season twice. The first coach of the team, Dom Capers, led the squad for four seasons before being fired. After taking over, Gary Kubiak was fired after eight seasons.

After finishing 4-12 in 2020, Houston had three losing seasons in a row this season. They had won the AFC South the previous two seasons going into that one.