Sports
Bills owner dives into reasoning for Sean McDermott firing, blames ‘coaching’ on lack of wide receiver success
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The body wasn’t even cold before the Buffalo Bills decided to let go of Sean McDermott.
The Bills fired McDermott on Monday after the team’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round.
That loss, team owner Terry Pegula said, single-handedly cost McDermott his job.
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Head coach Sean McDermott and owner Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills before the Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 12, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” Pegula, alongside general manager Brandon Beane, told reporters on Wednesday.
“I looked around, first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down crying. I looked at all the other players, I looked at their faces and our coaches, I walked over to Josh [Allen], he didn’t even acknowledge I was there. First thing I said to him was ‘That was a catch.’ We all know what I’m talking about. He didn’t acknowledge me. He just sat there sobbing. He was listless. He had given everything he had to try to win that game. And looking around, so did all the other players on the team.”
“I did not fire a coach based on a bad officiating decision. If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year,” Pegula added.
The owner also made sure to note that Allen “didn’t have any input at all” in the decision.
“I didn’t talk to Josh about this. I talked to him afterwards, but that conversation will stay private,” Pegula said.
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula before the AFC divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Beane was asked about the lack of wide receiver success, namely in Keon Coleman, but Pegula jumped in and placed blame on “coaching” on the first pick of the second round in 2024. Ladd McConkey was the next selection.
“The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice from his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. He’s taken, for some reason, heat over it and not saying a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
The defeat marked another crushing blow to McDermott’s tenure as the Bills’ head coach. McDermott took the job before the start of the 2017 season, and Buffalo finished under .500 only once since then. He helped guide the Bills to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. The team made the conference title game twice but never got back to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks at a news conference after the Lions game, Dec. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
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Many thought the Bills were a team of destiny this year, considering Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson all did not make the playoffs.
Alas, Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos will go against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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One year after a winter storm forced postponements across U.S. sports, another major weather system is prompting a reshuffling of games this week and threatened to wreak havoc on the weekend schedule.
A storm that meteorologists say could rival the damage of a major hurricane is expected to bring snow, ice and frigid temperatures from New Mexico to New England starting Friday.
The Sun Belt Conference preemptively shook up its women’s basketball schedule, moving around the start times on several games from Thursday through Saturday.
Tennessee’s swim meet at Georgia and the USC Upstate women’s basketball game at Longwood were moved up to Friday from Saturday because of the forecast.
Arizona State‘s on-court threads will look a bit different, courtesy of a program icon.
The Sun Devils unveiled a new uniform on Tuesday that blends elements from James Harden‘s time at Arizona State with his signature shoe deal.
On a black base, “Arizona State” appears in a blocky font in maroon and outlined with gold, with the jersey number sandwiched by the school’s name.
A legacy never leaves 🔱
Introducing the James Harden X ASU collection.
Available now: https://t.co/BbmKQRflzJ pic.twitter.com/Si7ra1CuJe— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) January 20, 2026
Arizona State’s “Sparky” mascot logo is featured on two locations — under the front collar of the jersey and on the sides of the shorts.
On the jersey’s maroon back collar is a cream-colored patch with No. 13 — Harden’s jersey number as a Sun Devil — in gold, a nod to the LA Clippers guard’s two seasons with the program.
Similar to Louisville‘s Donovan Mitchell uniform and Texas Tech football’s Patrick Mahomes threads, Arizona State will feature Harden’s signature logo — in this case on the right side of the jersey’s collar and the bottom left of the shorts.
Harden, a 16-season NBA veteran, played for the Sun Devils from 2007 to 2009 before being selected as the No. 3 pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged 19 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a Sun Devil, leading the team to a 2009 NCAA tournament berth.
The Clippers guard first signed a 13-year deal with Adidas in August 2015, after Nike failed to match the shoe company’s $200 million offer.
Free-to-play soccer simulation game UFL has announced the stars for its January League Pack.
Monthly League Packs in UFL feature cards of 50 soccer players from multiple leagues who stood out during the prior month of real-life play.
Headlining the League Pack this month is Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki, whose performance over the last few weeks made him one of the most consistent, high-performing players in the Premier League. Of note was Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United last week in the EFL Cup, with Cherki scoring a last-minute goal to extend the club’s lead in the match.
Other headliners for the January League Pack include Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Díaz, as well as Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz. Players will be guaranteed one of these three Mastery 3 players within every five packs opened.
Here’s the full list of featured stars in the January League Pack for UFL in January’s League Pack and their ratings:
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Nico Paz, Como 1907: 91 OVR
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Brahim Díaz, Real Madrid CF: 91 OVR
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Rayan Cherki, Manchester City: 91 OVR
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Alessandro Bastoni, Internazionale: 90 OVR
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Matheus Nunes, Manchester City: 90 OVR
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Robin Risser, Lens: 89 OVR
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Michael Keane, Everton: 89 OVR
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Matthieu Udol, Lens: 89 OVR
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Stije Resink, FC Groningen: 88 OVR
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Kenan Yildiz, Juventus: 88 OVR
The January League Pack in UFL will be available in-game until Feb. 16.
UFL is currently available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
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