The Los Angeles Chargers decided to pull the plug on their Brandon Staley experiment this Friday, following an embarrassing blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders the previous night.
General manager Tom Telesco was also handed his marching orders on the heels of the team falling to 5-9 for the season.
Things just haven’t seemed right in L.A. since they allowed that shocking comeback in the 2022 playoffs. But they were expected to at least make it back.
Given the way results have gone so far, it’s no surprise that owner Dean Spanos has opted to move on from the head coach. And one writer is now claiming that Staley was only hired because of the color of his skin.
“Had to happen,” ProFootballTalk’s Myles Simmons shared in a tweet. “But I am thinking about this today — if Brandon Staley didn’t look like Brandon Staley and had his same resume (non-player, 3 years as NFL position coach, 1 as NFL DC) he never, ever even would’ve been interviewed for a HC position, let alone hired.”
Whether or not Staley’s hiring was borne of merit is up for debate. But the Chargers did improve on the back of it, also making a playoff appearance. It’s also worth noting that his work as a defensive coordinator for the Rams saw their defense finish first in total defense in just one season.
