Jeff Saturday addresses harsh petition Colts fans started
Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday walks the sideline Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Photo Credit: Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Indianapolis Colts announced on Tuesday that they have hired a new head coach, and former interim head coach Jeff Saturday did not get the job. He is thankful for the opportunity, however, even if many fans made it clear they did not want him to stick around.
Saturday shared a video on social media shortly after the Colts named former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen their new head coach. The former Pro Bowl center wished Steichen luck and said he is “still a huge Colt fan.” Saturday also addressed the petition Colts fans started to urge the team not to hire him, which Saturday joked that his wife may have signed.
You can see the video below, with the comments about the petition coming around the 48-second mark:
Colts Nation- love y’all! pic.twitter.com/7aFIy8jwUq
— Jeff Saturday (@SaturdayJeff) February 14, 2023
There were reports that Saturday was a serious candidate for the Colts’ full-time head coach job, but it is fair to wonder if that was ever actually the case. He went 1-7 as the team’s interim coach. He had no coaching experience at the NFL or collegiate level prior to being hired, and many thought team owner Jim Irsay gave Saturday the interim job as part of a plan to tank. Irsay issued a vulgar response to that theory.
If Irsay was looking to convince people that he was not trying to tank, leaking reports that Saturday was a serious candidate for the full-time job would be a logical strategy.
