On Wednesday, the USFL announced New Orleans Breakers head coach, Larry Fedora, will be stepping down from his position, and away from football altogether, at least for the time being.
This comes as a shock to many, as the Breakers played well in 2022 under coach Fedora, finishing 2nd in their division, posting a 6-2 record, and even making the playoffs. However, his reasoning, which he laid out in a news release, is understandable.
“While I thoroughly enjoyed this season, starting up a new league and team kept me away from my family for an extended period of time, I can’t ask them to make that sacrifice again, so I have decided to step away from the USFL for the time being.
While Fedora is stepping away, he hasn’t completely ruled out a return if the opportunity arises once teams are no longer in a hub/hubs, stating,
“I love coaching, and I will certainly be open to a USFL return at some point in the future once all teams get settled in their home cities.”
Ultimately, all teams playing in a hub city does have its negatives, and while the season was successful, there’s still a lot of work to be done before teams are all situated in their home cities.
Fedora not wanting to move his family to Birmingham or another potential hub city is perfectly understandable, though with the success he and his staff had in their first season together, hopefully, the USFL keeps the door open for an eventual return.
USFL President of Football Operations Brian Woods and USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl “Moose” Johnston have already begun the search for coach Fedora’s replacement. However, until that replacement is found, coach Fedora will remain in his position.
Johnston thanked Fedora on Twitter, stating,
“We will miss Coach Fedora, and we are grateful for his enormous contributions to help set up the New Orleans Breakers and the entire USFL for long-term success, All of our head coaches helped us complete an extraordinarily successful inaugural spring football season and we are excited that seven are returning for Season 2. We look forward to providing fans more high-quality, competitive football starting again in April 2023.”
The head coaches making a return for the USFL’s 2023 season are Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars), Jeff Fisher (Michigan Panthers), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits), Skip Holtz (Birmingham Stallions), Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers), and Kirby Wilson (Pittsburgh Maulers).
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