The head coach of the Seattle Seahawks has compared a recent signing to an all-time great, which is problematic.
“Always compete,” as it happened to be the title of a book, was Pete Carroll’s credo.
And he did, right up until the Seattle Seahawks’ ownership decided, after 14 seasons, that a new voice needed to take the helm.
Carroll will leave his position as head coach in Seattle after leading the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl victory and two NFC titles. This marks the team’s greatest run of success in franchise history.
After talking with ownership, the 72-year-old Carroll was at least partially forced to accept the decision, which seems more like a separation than a firing. Owner Jody Allen announced on Wednesday that Carroll will take on an unspecified advisory role within the company.
However, Carroll obviously wanted to stay in his position and try to win one more championship with the team.
Carroll said, “Just so you know, I competed pretty hard to be the coach,” at a tearful farewell news conference. “I just wanted to make sure that I advocated for all of our coaches, players, and accomplishments. Not just so we could remain the coach, but also so we could have a chance to succeed and maintain the organization. That was the reason I was fighting.
Carroll said, “In that sense, that’s what I was representing in our discussions.” “And we got to a good part, a good, clean spot where it made sense, and I went along with their intentions.”
Black Monday in Roundup: Ron Rivera of the Commanders is fired, and head coach Arthur Smith of the Falcons is fired.
Carroll spoke for more than 30 minutes about a tenure that will be hard for any coach to match in the future, through a mixture of tears and laughter, in an auditorium filled with staff from throughout the facility, assistant coaches, and a few current players.
“I’m so happy that this run has occurred. I am, truly. You should be proud of the level of consistency we’ve shown,” Carroll remarked.
Carroll will leave as the most successful coach in team history, but his tenure will end in disappointment following multiple seasons of mediocre performance, which included a 9-8 record and no postseason appearance in his last year.
His accomplishment of winning the Super Bowl 48 over Denver and bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle will always be remembered. Carroll’s regular-season record with the Seahawks was 137-69-1 at the end. He guided Seattle to ten postseason victories and five NFC West championships.
However, Russell Wilson’s goal line interception in the closing seconds of Super Bowl 49 left Carroll and the team never quite recovered. The core that led Seattle to those championship games eventually broke down, and despite Carroll’s numerous attempts at rebuilding the team, the Seahawks were never able to reassemble with the same caliber of players and chemistry to win another championship and forget that heartbreaking defeat.
