Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kevin Hickey

Report: Colts’ top executives objected to Jeff Saturday hire

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay made the impulsive decision to hire Jeff Saturday as interim head coach despite the objections of two of his top executives in the front office, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Buy Colts Tickets

Though this doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering the lack of rationale that has been used to justify the hiring, Rapoport reported that Colts president Pete Ward and general manager Chris Ballard tried to talk Irsay out of making the drastic move.

“Colts president Pete Ward and general manager Chris Ballard, among others, spoke with Irsay and expressed their reservations, sources say,” Rapoport reported Sunday morning.

Despite having former head coaches on the staff in John Fox and Gus Bradley, Rapoport also reported that Irsay was “hellbent” on hiring Saturday as the interim head coach, following the firing of former head coach Frank Reich.

Irsay made the move by calling Reich over the phone to let him know he had been fired rather than doing it face-to-face.

In terms of the offensive play-calling, the Colts initially wanted quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich to handle the duties but he declined the offer after the Colts didn’t make any revisions to his contract.

So, they went with 30-year-old Parks Frazier, who is now the youngest play-caller in the NFL.

None of this is all that shocking after the bombshell was dropped earlier this week, but it does show that there were some very high-up executives who objected to this impulsive move by Irsay.


Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.