Bill Cowher resigned as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. He decided to skip the last year his contract with the team so that he can spend some more time with his family.
That choice also means he will be skipping a reported $4.5 million in salary. That's a lot.
Many have seen this coming, though. He bought a new home (estate, actually) in North Carolina after last year's Super Bowl win. He didn't agree to a contract extension after discussions with the Steelers last summer. He was a little less intense on the sidelines last season.
Some people have speculated that Bill's wife, Kaye, is the real decision maker in the family. They think that she was in charge of the home purchase and of Bill choosing to resign. I think that if she had anything to do with that sweater he was wearing during his last press conference, she should be relieved of her decision making duties immediately.
I'll tell you who had nothing to do with this decision - Bill's three daughters. Two of them attend Princeton University and the youngest is a sophomore in high school. I feel like this whole thing is a lot of pressure for those kids. I mean, he's basically pointing to them as the public reason for quitting one of the best coaching jobs in the NFL. Do you really think they want him there constantly? And visiting them at college? How long before he hears one of them politely ask him to "go back to work" and "get out of my business"?
They don't want you hanging around the house all the time, Bill. They don't care that you are forfeiting $4.5 mil to watch some girls high school basketball games. Find something to do.
Everyone knows that Bill's family is not the real reason he resigned. The talk is that he will sit out this year and then return to coaching for a much higher salary. The family excuse was just floated out there so that Steelers fans couldn't get too angry. How can you say bad things about a guy who is taking some time off to spend with his kids? Even though 2/3 of them are already in college 450 miles away...
Just wait until he comes back next year to coach the Cleveland Browns. Then you'll hear some bad things.
And then it will all make $en$e.
Especially for the Cowher girls. They can't wait.
1 comment:
Interesting prediction about him coaching again after a year, but I don't know who will offer him more money. He didn't exactly go out with a bang. The blame for the Steelers going from Super Bowl Champions to post season spectators I place largely on his shoulders. His overall coaching record is a good one, but he lost more than just a few starters this past season.
Anyway, his replacement looks like a good fit for this team. I hope he knows that Steelers fans expect him to stick around for at least a decade - or even two. Like the "changing of the guard," people don't expect to witness the "changing of the coaches" more than once or twice in their lifetime.
As for the family excuse, I agree. Why would you move when you have a daughter that is two years from graduating? Although she should have no problem making new friends if she invites them over for a party at that huge house.
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