Buffalo Bills Coach Doug Marrone Gets Into Shouting Match With Team Executive, Says ‘Go Ahead And Fire Me’

Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone got into a loud shouting match with team officials recently, reportedly daring them to fire him.

Sources said the fight took place just before final cuts last weekend, when tensions boiled over between Marrone and director of player personnel Jim Monos.

From CBS Sports:

“General manager Doug Whaley then intervened. The expletives continued and finally team president and acting owner Russ Brandon tried to defuse the situation by getting involved in an attempt to get all parties to “shut up,” as one source put it. But that too escalated into more yelling and hollering, with Brandon and Marrone ultimately separated by their peers and Marrone, in earshot of players, making remarks along the lines of ‘go ahead and fire me,’ before order was restored and the team took the field for practice.”

The report of the fight is the latest bit of bad news in what has been a dumpster fire of an offseason. After trading their 2015 first-round pick to land receiver Sammy Watkins, the Bills first-team offense looked hapless in the preseason. To make matters worse, the team is up for sale with final bids due in mid-September, and the prospect of a potential move to Toronto or Los Angeles hangs over fans.

Sources close to the team said the front office is upset with how Doug Marrone has been using players. Marrone kept second-round tackle Cyrus Kouandjio on a short leash, and had possible No. 1 receiver Robert Woods playing with the second team during the preseason. Marrone is also low on offensive lineman Kraig Ubrik, who the front office believes is a quality football player.

Both Doug Marrone and team executives could be playing for their lives this season. The team will almost assuredly have a new owner by this time next year, and it’s likely that if the Bills don’t reach the playoffs this season the owner will look to clean house.