Kotite Ends His Tenure as Jets’ Coach

Rich Kotite stepped down as coach of the New York Jets on Friday but will coach the team’s final game Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins.

“When you’re 3-13 and 1-14, that just doesn’t cut it,” Kotite said.

“If you take emotion out of this, and I did, it’s clear that the head coach should step down.”

He said his departure was by mutual agreement with Leon Hess, the team’s owner, and Steve Gutman, its president.

Kotite gave a contradictory statement in announcing he was leaving.

“I was not fired, I am not quitting,” he said, perhaps inferring that as the team’s general manager he could dismiss himself.

The Jets are 1-14, the franchise’s worst record, after a 3-13 mark last year. This season, the Jets expected better after committing more than $80 million to free agents, including quarterback Neil O’Donnell, who received a $25-million, five-year deal after leading Pittsburgh to last January’s Super Bowl.

But they lost their first eight games before winning at Arizona and currently are mired in a six-game losing streak.