The Kansas City Chiefs announced today that Romeo Crennel, the team's 12th coach, has been "relieved of his duties as head coach" after a 2-14 season. This record matches the team's worst in its 53-year history. Crennel was named head coach of the Chiefs on January 9, 2012. In a statement released today, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt described the "tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Romeo, both personally and professionally."
But, as The Kansas City Star reports, "Crennel was unable to stem a tide of mistakes, particularly turnovers, that undermined the season from the start."
Hunt continued in his statement that despite Crennel's "great character," the season's record was a disappointment: "“However, I am embarrassed by the poor product we gave our fans this season, and I believe we have no choice but to move the franchise in a different direction. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Chiefs. The entire football operation will remain under review, and there may be additional changes to come. No final determination has been made at this point on the future of General Manager Scott Pioli.
“Finally, I want to personally apologize to our fans for our performance this season. We are blessed to play for some of the best and most passionate fans in the National Football League and they deserve better than what we gave them this season. I want our fans to know that I will do everything I can to provide them with a dramatically better team – both next season and in the seasons to come – and our entire organization appreciates their support.”
