5 NFL stars who openly berated their head coach
The NFL is a hugely intense, competitive environment in which grown men sometimes don’t always get along. We like to live in an ideal world where every coach and player has a father/son relationship, but the reality is gravely different.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the most successful player/coach pairing in NFL history, but they didn’t always get along, and there are rumored to be still some bad feelings over Brady’s New England departure.
However, not everyone can keep these feelings of frustration to themselves or discuss them behind closed doors.
Some players let their emotions get the better of them, leading to some rather almighty bust-ups.
#5 – Cam Newton
Cam Newton and Ron Rivera had some incredibly good times working together in Carolina, even reaching the Super Bowl.
However, Newton was known to be a rather emotional player during the early years of his NFL career, and there were a couple of occasions where he let rip at Rivera.
More often than not, it was down to minute details, i.e., not going for a play on fourth down, or calling a timeout too early.
On one such occasion, when the Panthers coaching staff called a timeout and refused to go for a gamble on fourth down, Newton blew his top, shouting obscenities at both Rivera and his offensive co-ordinator, to which Rivera was seen on camera replying "Don’t you do that" to his star QB.
#4 – Charles Woodson
Bill Callahan’s time in charge of the Oakland Raiders isn’t really remembered fondly by anybody, not least NFL Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.
The team went into freefall in 2003, with tension bubbling below the surface between the coach and his defensive star.
"Hey, man, don't you mention Callahan to me. What's wrong with you?" - a smiling but serious #Raiders FS Charles Woodson, to a TV guy
Callahan elected to bench Woodson, citing a missed practice, in a year when the defender was set to hit free agency, which led to Woodson launching an astonishing verbal attack.
Woodson declared:
“He’s made this thing really personal. “He’s not the type of person you want to be around, he’s just really brought a negative vibe to this team. When things get personal, it’s not a good situation. I won’t play for him.”