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The Raiders gave Josh McDaniels the boot last week, and it seems like the floodgates of bad stories about him are bursting wide open.
The first story that came out recently is that when McDaniels got the news he was out of a job last Tuesday night, instead of letting his kids enjoy their Halloween trick-or-treat, he actually called them back home to break the news.
But apparently that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to McDaniels‘ questionable coaching career and character.
Former Broncos tight end Nate Jackson, who’s now an author, wrote an article shedding light on McDaniels’ failure as head coach in the NFL and shared a number of interesting stories from his time around the team when he was there in 2009.
According to Jackson, McDaniels had a fragile ego, both on and off the field. Jackson shared the rumor for why McDaniels traded away future star running back Peyton Hillis is because his own wife Laura, found Hillis attractive.
Jackson put it this way: “McDaniels’s ego wasn’t just a delicate flower on the field. He famously sent packing Peyton Hillis because, word had it, McDaniels thought his wife had a thing for the guy.”
Peyton Hills went on to have a breakout season with the Browns in 2010, gaining 1,654 total yards with 13 total touchdowns on his way to becoming EA Sports’ Madden 2012 cover athlete.
Jackson didn’t stop with just the Hillis story; he shared a personal story about his own departure from the Broncos: “I found out my Broncos career was over from a message left on my parents’ answering machine. “Honey, there’s something I think you need to listen to.” When I tried to contact Josh for an explanation, his secretary told me he was in a meeting and that he’d call me back. He never did.”
With stories like these, it’s no wonder McDaniels didn’t make it as an NFL head coach.