2x Patriots Super Bowl champ Damien Woody ‘embarrassed’ to call himself Lakers fan as LA fails to land Dan Hurley
After weeks of speculation, Dan Hurley has turned down the opportunity to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and will continue at the University of Connecticut. The Lakers reportedly offered a six-year, $70 million deal to Hurley, but the 51-year-old coach will instead look to win a third straight national title in Connecticut.
Damien Woody, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, was quite frustrated with Hurley's rejection of the Lakers' offer. Woody claimed that he was 'embarrassed' to be a Lakers fan and called out the franchise's front office for offering only $70 million to Hurley.
"That 6yr $70M contract for Dan Hurley doesn’t scream all in for me", said Woody
"I’m embarrassed as a Lakers fan. We got beat out by Storrs, CT". Woody added, "Woj kept saying the Lakers were coming with a ‘massive’ offer. That’s nowhere near massive considering Monty Williams is making more in Detroit than that offer the Lakers put out."
Lakers fans from all over the world share the same sentiment as Woody. Often criticized for poor management, the franchise has once again failed to attract a top-level head coach by offering a relatively less attractive contract compared to market standards.
A similar thing happened in the past when the Lakers tried to make Ty Lue their head coach, but unfortunately, both parties could not agree on the money offered in the contract. LeBron James is currently a free agent, and while it is expected that he will remain in Los Angeles, things could change if the franchise completely botches another head coach search.
It will be interesting to see if Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka will be able to win over fans like Damien Woody with what they do regarding their head coach in the coming weeks.
What's next for the Lakers after Dan Hurley's decision?
With Dan Hurley set to stay as the head coach of the University of Connecticut, the Lakers will turn to other alternatives that they interviewed before approaching Hurley. Shams Charania earlier reported that J.J. Reddick has emerged as the frontrunner to land the Lakers job, and it seems like the franchise will prioritize him over former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego.
The Lakers arguably have the biggest fan base in the NFL, and if they fail to make the right decision regarding their new head coach, then general manager Rob Pelinka might even lose his job in the near future.
Darvin Ham's tenure with the Lakers didn't end well, and it will be important for the 17-time NBA Champions to ask Anthony Davis about whoever they decide to hire. Reddick has a great relationship with James and Davis, which might finally persuade the franchise to make the former Sixers guard their head coach.