The coach of the NFL team Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott, has apologised publicly for using the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 as an example of positive teamwork to his team in a meeting.
In an explosive article by NFL reporter Tyler Dunne, allegations were made that in 2019 McDermott had used the September 11 hijackers as a positive allegory to his players on how a team should be able to unite and work together.
Allegedly the coach said to players the terrorists were “a group of people who were able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection.”
McDermott, who has coached the Buffalo Bills (no relation to the Bubble-o-Bill ice-creams) since 2017, came forward in a press conference today to apologise for the comments which he admitted to making.
Sean McDermott just addressed the 9/11 meeting referenced by @TyDunne's article published today. He said he plans on addressing this with the team later today once they get out of meetings. Here's the first few minutes of his comments from moments ago @WKBW pic.twitter.com/lKBdGVd8GV
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) December 7, 2023
“I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day, and I immediately apologised to the team,” said the coach.
McDermott then explained what he had been hoping to convey, but had ironically failed to communicate.
“My intent in the meeting that day was to discuss the importance of communication and being on the same page with the team,” he clarified.
It kind of feels like those moments in sports movies or shows where the coach made an analogy about sport that was way too convoluted, and the team got confused so the coach has to backtrack.
Except instead of being convoluted, this one was just wack.
The emotional coach then apologised further to anyone who had been hurt by his use of the off-colour metaphor.
“Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country’s history, but a day that I lost a good family friend,” he admitted to the press.
“If anyone misinterpreted or didn’t understand my message, I apologise.”
Thankfully, he did see the irony of his actions, saying: “That was about the importance of communication and that everyone needs to be on the same page, ironically enough. So that was important to me then and still is now.”
Moral of the story: when using a metaphor, sometimes it’s best to brainstorm a little instead of using the first thing that springs to mind.
Especially when the first thing you think of is 9/11.
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