The Oakland Raiders fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday night — one day after his team returned from London with an 0-4 record. The move was one that everyone knew was coming, especially after an AP reporter tweeted (and then deleted) on Sunday night that the Raiders had decided to let Allen go and would likely make the announcement this week.
Yet even after that report was out there and speculation was building by the minute, the Raiders still chose to fire Allen over the phone.
Yes the Raiders informed Dennis Allen he is fired over the phone rather than talk to him on an 11 hour flight home from London.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) September 30, 2014
No one is going to argue that Oakland should have held onto Allen. The Raiders have lost 10 consecutive games dating back to last season and Allen is 8-28 as coach of the team. He has been in Oakland since 2012 and the Raiders look no better now than they did then.
Having said that, I’m not sure why the team couldn’t call a meeting with Allen to give him a chance to look the Raiders’ brass in the eye and thank them for the opportunity. Mark Davis and company must have gotten advice from Rory McIlroy on how to end a lengthy relationship.
