PITTSBURGH -- San Diego safety Rodney Harrison lashed out at
former Chargers coach Kevin Gilbride, now the Steelers' offensive
coordinator, saying he would quit football before playing again for
a coach so disliked by his players.
"To put it plain and simple, everyone hated him here, pretty
much," Harrison said in a conference call with Pittsburgh
reporters. "That is the backlash I have gotten from the players,
and as far as a lot of the people around this organization."
Gilbride was 6-16 as Chargers coach in 1997-98. The Chargers
still are paying Gilbride on a contract that runs through 2001.
"Would I ever play for Kevin Gilbride again? No, I would retire
first," said Harrison, whose Chargers (1-14) play the Steelers
(8-7) on Sunday in San Diego. "I think that sums up everything."
Asked what went wrong during Gilbride's short and unsuccessful
stay as Chargers coach, Harrison talked for several minutes without
pausing.
"I think he just was not a good fit. I think Kevin rubbed a lot
of people the wrong way when he was here," Harrison said. "I
heard stories of how nice a guy he was when he was (the offensive
coordinator) in Houston, how he got along with the players.
"I really did not have a problem with Kevin, because I never
really let him get to me. I think, at times, he did not trust
people in a fair manner. I thought he was disrespectful to people
at times.
"As a player, you see a coach yelling and screaming at guys,
and talking to them any kind of way, and you don't like that. I
never liked the way he talked to players, and the way he really
tried to handle things around here.
"Put it this way, I'm glad I don't have to play for him."
The Chargers were 4-12 under Gilbride in 1997 and 2-4 when he
was fired during the 1998 season, when Harrison made the AFC Pro
Bowl team.
Gilbride, the Steelers' offensive coordinator for two seasons,
seemed surprised by Harrison's remarks and defended his coaching
style.
"Actually, he was one of my favorite players," Gilbride said.
"He was a good player, and plays the game you would like to have
your players play. I'm disappointed. I have a lot of respect for
him as a player.
"Obviously, I always pride myself on being very fair. No
question, I was organized and disciplined. That's the kind of
program I was proud to run."
Gilbride agreed Harrison's remarks might reflect disappointment
at the Chargers' 1-14 season.
"It's just unfortunate that he would choose this avenue to lash
out," Gilbride said.
Gilbride said the Chargers "were headed in the right
direction" when he was fired and had the No. 1 defense in the
league at the time.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to pursue it the way I
would have liked," he said. "I thought we were doing a lot of the
right things."
Harrison also criticized Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf, saying,
"I think Ryan has done some really, plain and simple, stupid
things these last few years. He's opened his mouth, and most of the
time when he opens his mouth, he puts his foot into it."
Asked if the Chargers like Leaf, he said, "It really comes down
to you don't have to like a guy to play with a guy. You don't have
to like someone to be around him. It's all about making plays."
| |
|
