The Indianapolis Colts made the shocking decision Monday to fire longtime head coach Frank Reich after four seasons with the organization.
Reich issued a heartfelt statement on his removal Tuesday, saying that he was disappointed about the decision but understood team owner Jim Irsay‘s point of view.
“There’s disappointment and hurt,” Reich told Fox 59 in Indianapolis. “It hurts. It hurts to have it happen in the middle of the season. But I understand the business side of things. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Irsay and I’ve come to trust his instincts and his knowledge of the game. I just know he’s doing what he thinks is best for the team.”
It was clearly a very unfortunate situation, but Reich added that he didn’t have any regrets and that he “gave his heart and soul” to his position with the Colts.
“I can live with that. I gave my heart and soul to the job, to the guys, to everything I did there,” Reich added.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Reich last week after the team let go of former offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, who many were calling a “scapegoat” for the Colts’ offensive failures.
Indianapolis then went on to lose embarrassingly to the New England Patriots on Sunday in a game where the Colts only put up 121 yards offensively.
Reich was ultimately fired a day after the game, and former Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday was later named the team’s interim head coach.
It’s hard not to feel for Reich considering the circumstances going on in Indianapolis, dealing with a struggling quarterback in Sam Ehlinger along with star running back Jonathan Taylor being injured for much of the season.
