A new era begins Sunday for the Green Bay Packers after firing head coach Mike McCarthy following last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy told WTMJ it was a difficult decision, but one he felt needed to be made.
“The way the season had played out, I just felt that we needed a change,” says Murphy. “It wasn’t anything particularly that [McCarthy] did wrong, I just felt that the message had become stale and we needed a new voice.”
Murphy added that he intended to make a change at the end of the season, so he felt it would be better for everyone to do so now rather than wait.
“Mike came in and spoke to the team yesterday. I thought that was good. I think Mike wanted some closure with the players and some of the other coaches to thank them and say goodbye to them as well.”
In the meantime, Joe Philbin will step in as interim head coach. Is Philbin on the list to be the Packers next head coach?
“I think we have a very credible candidate in Joe Philbin,” says Murphy. “He’s highly respected by our players. It's an opportunity to see how the team responds to him.”
Murphy says a small hiring committee will be put together to search for a new full-time head coach.
“At the end of the day, we want to hire a coach who will be successful and bring us back a championship.”
He adds they’ll be looking for someone who is a good fit for the ‘unique Green Bay culture.’
For the full interview with Murphy on Wisconsin’s Morning News, click in the player above.
