The Navy Midshipmen made the shocking decision on Sunday to part ways with longtime head coach Ken Niumatalolo. Considering his lengthy tenure with the program, it was certainly a shock, but Niumatalolo revealed why he was fired on Monday.
In an interview with ESPN, Niumatalolo revealed that he was let go directly after Navy’s loss on Saturday to the Army Black Knights, despite his best efforts of asking athletic director Chet Gladchuk to reconsider.
“First of all, we just got kicked in the gut,” Niumatalolo said, per Heather Dinich, ESPN. “I was a little bit numb prior to him saying that, so most of it I couldn’t comprehend. I’m just like, ‘Chet, why don’t you take some time to relax.’ He said, ‘Well, it’s been building up.'”
Gladchuk was also interviewed, saying that Niumatalolo was fired because he didn’t accomplish the two most important goals for a coach at Navy, which are making a bowl game and beating Army.
Niumatalolo even pleaded for Gladchuk to allow him to finish out his contract, which was set to expire next year. He even said that if they lost to Army again next season, he would resign.
“If we lose next year, don’t worry about firing me. I’ll resign,” Niumatalolo told Gladchuk. “You don’t have to pay me a cent. I’m not looking for a raise, I’m not looking for anything. I just want to finish my contract.”
Things will certainly look different at Navy moving forward without Niumatalolo. He ultimately finished his tenure with the program as the winningest coach in program history.
Navy’s losing record each of the last three seasons followed by their loss to Army was apparently the final straw, and they will now look to transition into a new era of Midshipmen football next year.
[ESPN.com]
