Packers’ associate head coach is fired hours after tweeting about Aaron Rodgers, need for team leadership
Green Bay Packers associate head coach Winston Moss posted a tweet Tuesday that suggested the struggling team is lacking in the leadership department and mentioned star quarterback Aaron Rodgers by jersey number.
Hours later, Moss was no longer employed by the Packers.
Almost immediately following a 20-17 loss to the lowly Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — which dropped the four-time Super Bowl champion Packers to 4-7-1 — head coach Mike McCarthy was relieved of his duties. Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was named his interim replacement.
Moss, an original member of McCarthy’s staff who also served as linebackers coach, offered what seems to be his assessment on the state of the team Tuesday via Twitter.
“Ponder this... what Championship teams have are great leadership! Period!” he wrote. “It’s not the offensive guru trend, it’s not the safe trend. Find somebody that is going to hold #12 and everybody in this building to a #LombardiStandard! Period!”
He added the hashtag #losingsucks!
That tweet came at 8:59 a.m. About 9 ½ hours later, Moss posted again: “The Packers have informed me that there letting me go.”
This time he added a hashtag — #thankstwitter — that seemed to indicate that, at least in his eyes, his earlier tweet had something to do with his dismissal.
Philbin said in a statement: “We thank Winston for his contributions to the Packers over the past 13 years. We hope for the best for Winston and his family moving forward.”
The interim coach told reporters Wednesday he decided to fire Moss because he “just didn’t feel like the fit right now was where it needs to be.” When asked specifically about Moss’ tweet, Philbin said more than one factor went into his decision.
According to Packers News, Moss has struggled with public communication in the past and his “awkward media sessions” led to him being the team’s only assistant coach not made available to reporters this year.
Six minutes after his second tweet of Tuesday, Moss sent out one more on the situation.
“I have serve the Packers with all my heart and soul,” he wrote. “I’ve given it my all. no regrets!”
Twitter: @chewkiii
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
