Byron Leftwich got awkward gift from Bucs before firing

Jul 26, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA;Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich smile as he looks on during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich on Thursday, and the move came in an inadvertently brutal way.

Leftwich arrived at work Thursday to find that he, along with every other member of the Buccaneers staff, had a painted commemorative football in his locker to congratulate staff members for winning back-to-back NFC South titles for the first time in franchise history, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Leftwich was promptly informed of his dismissal an hour later, making for brutally awkward timing from the organization’s perspective.

While Leftwich was the most high-profile name to be fired, the Buccaneers parted ways with five assistants on Thursday, meaning several others presumably got the same treatment as Leftwich.

There is no good time to fire somebody, but the Buccaneers had to feel a little awkward dealing with this Thursday. Obviously, they could not let Leftwich and his other assistants hang, so there was not really anything else they could have done. Besides, it was still probably less awkward than this firing turned out to be.