Knox sacked as McMaster coach
Few details known about interaction with official at game
Peterborough’s Greg Knox has been fired as head coach of the McMaster Marauders football team.
The 48-year-old learned of the decision late Monday afternoon after being summoned to a meeting with the Hamilton university’s human resources department.
The axing follows an investigation by the school into an incident with an official in a game exactly one month before the day of his release. Details of that interaction have not been released or explained.
“An independent third-party report into an incident involving McMaster’s head football coach Greg Knox has now been received by the university,” states an official school release on the McMaster Daily News website.
“After careful consideration, the university has determined it will be proceeding with a leadership change of the football program. Knox is no longer employed by the university and not part of the coaching staff.”
Knox declined to comment. But 18 players spoken to by the Hamilton Spectator on Monday say they are infuriated by the way they were told about the firing. Many described the explanation to the players in the locker-room as half-hearted, “disrespectful” and poorly delivered.
“The fact that they left these kids hanging for four weeks is disappointing, but it isn’t surprising,” said Carol Edwards, co-ordinator of the McMaster Marauders Parents of Players Group, which has asked for a meeting with the school.
Interim athletic director Mark Alfano and dean of students Sean Van Koughnett spoke to the other coaches and players immediately after the dismissal.
Knox was in his third year as head coach after being brought back to the school as interim head coach when Stef Ptaszek left to join the Hamilton Tiger-Cats shortly before the 2016 season.
He’d been the defensive coordinator in each of the three seasons (2011, ’12 and ’14) the Marauders made it to the Vanier Cup and had most recently been working as defensive backs coach of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Since taking over the top job, he’s led Mac to a 15-6 record.
However, he was suspended for an alleged incident involving an official in a game last month. Ontario University Athletics held a hearing, listened to his official appeal and gave him a one-game suspension.
McMaster, meanwhile, put him on administrative leave where he remained until Monday, missing three games.
“The independent investigation was begun after an incident at a game against Wilfrid Laurier University in late September, which involved allegations of harassment and threats of physical violence made against a sideline game official,” the school’s official release states.
The Marauders open their playoffs on Saturday at Carleton in Ottawa.
According to the Ontario Sunshine List, Knox made $113,456 last year as head coach.
Knox is a member of Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame and was Peterborough’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year in 1992.
In just his first year of football when he was in Grade 12, he was MVP for the Adam Scott Lions when they won the COSSA championship in 1986.
Knox later won the Vanier Cup national university football championship with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in 1991.
He then played for seven seasons with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, where he became captain of the Stampeders defence. He won the Grey Cup with the Stampeders in 1992 and 1998 and was a two-time CFL all-star.