Buffalo Bills coach again addresses 9/11 hijacker comments
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Friday he recognizes his mistakes while also noting he still has the support of the team in light of a questionable comparison he made four years ago in crediting the 9/11 hijackers for their coordination.
“It was important for me to address the players that are new to us since 2019 and may not have been around that day,” said McDermott, who met with players Thursday to discuss the comments. ”So they understood that situation and how it unfolded, and that, based on who I am and what they’ve seen, my hope and how I try and do things and how I handled that situation. So it went well. Their support was clear and much appreciated.”
The 49-year-old McDermott, in his seventh season coaching the Bills, said he owes it to his players to focus on beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
McDermott had mentioned the hijackers during a team meeting in 2019 while stressing the importance of communication. Upon realizing how his message was being interpreted, McDermott said he called a second team meeting an hour later that day to apologize to his players.
He revisited those remarks Thursday after an article posted on the Substack page of NFL writer Tyler Dunne, citing numerous unnamed sources, revealed what McDermott had said at the meeting.
McDermott did not dispute what was reported about his comments.
More pro football
Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, a Greenfield native, is back with the team after undergoing an emergency appendectomy just four days before planning to be on the sideline for an NFC East showdown with Philadelphia.
• Saints quarterback Derek Carr cleared the concussion protocol, increasing the likelihood that he’ll start on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Carr, who left New Orleans’ loss to Detroit last week with a concussion as well as shoulder and rib injuries, was listed as questionable on the injury report.
• The Seattle Seahawks listed quarterback Geno Smith as questionable for Sunday’s game against San Francisco. He will be a gametime decision due to a groin injury suffered in practice.
Soccer
West Virginia men’s soccer fell, 1-0, to Clemson in the semifinals of the Men’s College Cup in Louisville, Ky. The Mountaineers (17-3-4), who were playing in their first national semifinals, could only muster two shots on goal. WVU goalkeeper Jackson Lee finished with four saves in the loss. Clemson’s Shawn Smart scored the game’s only goal in the 37th minute.
• The U.S. Soccer Federation and Mexico Football Federation submitted a joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, competing against an expected proposal from Brazil and a joint Germany-Netherlands-Belgium plan. FIFA is to inspect proposed sites in February and the FIFA Congress is to vote on a host in May.
Olympics
The International Olympic Committee said some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The decision removes the option of a blanket ban due to the invasion of Ukraine. It confirms moves the IOC started one year ago to reintegrate Russia and its military ally Belarus into global sports.
Baseball
The Red Sox acquired outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing in a two-time Gold Glove winner to replace the departing Alex Verdugo. St. Louis received right-handers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos in return.
• The Atlanta Braves obtained infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Evan White and left-hander Tyler Thomas.