As rumors fly, Jets’ Gase tries to set record straight

Adam Gase spent most of his nearly 15-minute news conference batting down reports and rumors, while trying to set the record straight.

The New York Jets coach has been the focus of lots of conversation — most of it not good — on sports talk radio, television and social media since the team fired general manager Mike Maccagnan last Wednesday. The widespread belief is that Gase had something to do with how everything went down, that he “backstabbed” Maccagnan and forced team chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson to make a change.

“That would be false,” Gase insisted Thursday during his first news conference since Maccagnan was fired. “That’s just not true. Christopher made the decision.”

Gase acknowledged Thursday that the two didn’t always see eye to eye, but nothing unlike other NFL teams’ coaches and GMs.

“The majority of the time, me and Mike were always on the same page,” Gase said. “You have disagreements. There are always going to be disagreements in this profession, as far as philosophy, what you want to do player personnelwise, but at the end of the day he had the final decision. That was his right.”

Gase was then asked if he expressed to Johnson at any point that he couldn’t work with Maccagnan. “No,” Gase said flatly. One of the rumored sources of tension between the two was the Jets giving running back Le’Veon Bell a four-year, $52.5 million deal in free agency. According to some published reports, Gase didn’t want Bell; others said Gase was not happy about paying that much money for the former Steelers star.

“The contract was what it was,” Gase said. “I mean, everybody can criticize contracts all you want, but he’s here, I’m excited he’s here, I think our players are excited he’s here and our coaches are. When you get a chance to coach a great player, a guy who has done things that no one has ever done in the league, like him we’re excited about that opportunity. I’m excited to get him in the offense, so I can start figuring out what else can we do with him”

Gase is serving as the acting general manager while the Jets begin the process of hiring a new one. Johnson said last week that Gase will assist in the search, but Gase reiterated that it will be the owner’s decision.