An internal meeting involving Raiders players and Josh McDaniels recently made headlines, but one prominent player sought to provide additional insight into the situation. Prior to McDaniels’ termination in Las Vegas, the former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots allowed players to express their concerns. This meeting reportedly took an unpleasant turn, with players openly criticizing McDaniels for his shortcomings as head coach.
On Sunday, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that interim head coach Antonio Pierce was asked to speak in defense of McDaniels. However, when the former Giants linebacker mentioned New York’s Super Bowl XLII victory over the Patriots, McDaniels rebuked him for speaking negatively about New England.
The leaked details of the meeting portrayed McDaniels in an unfavorable light, and the celebratory reactions of Raiders players following their recent victory over the Giants hinted at their relief over McDaniels’ departure from the team. However, when Pat McAfee inquired about the meeting with Maxx Crosby, a different perspective emerged.
Crosby, speaking on the “Pat McAfee Show,” addressed the situation, saying, “Heard a bunch of different reports, saw there was some news, things like that, but the whole firing happened. We had a big meeting. Everyone shared their thoughts. It wasn’t solely about one individual. It was about everyone expressing their feelings regarding the team’s overall situation. People might misinterpret certain things. Whatever.”
“At the end of the day,” Crosby continued, “it was the people in that room who truly understood what happened. Many people spoke, including myself and others. I was initially irritated because this was supposed to be an internal matter. I don’t even know how this got out. You know how it is; there’s always going to be a couple of people who leak information. It was an internal matter, plain and simple. You shouldn’t read too much into it.”
Crosby’s comments suggest that he wanted to protect McDaniels’ reputation and maintain the confidentiality of any personal issues. Revealing the content of closed-door meetings to the media and fans is indeed unusual. The internal strife between Mac Jones, Matt Patricia, and Joe Judge caused controversy for the Patriots, highlighting the dysfunction within the team last season.
Pat McAfee swiftly shifted the conversation, not delving further into the meeting details with Crosby. It appears that the Las Vegas team is in a positive state, especially with the recent interaction between team owner Mark Davis and the players as they enjoyed cigars together.
