Report: Bill Parcells won't coach Saints
Retired NFL football coach Bill Parcells watches batting practice before a spring training game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. (March 30, 2012) Credit: AP
Bill Parcells has decided that Sainthood is not for him.
The iconic coach reportedly has informed the Saints that he will not replace Sean Payton as interim head coach in New Orleans. NFL.com and ESPN are reporting that Parcells has decided to remain retired.
Parcells was the most intriguing option for the Saints. His friend and protege Payton had his one-season suspension upheld Monday, and there had been casual talks between them regarding the future of the position. It's unclear if the Saints officially offered Parcells the job or if he removed his name from consideration. Newsday's calls to Parcells were not returned.
Payton, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt all had their suspensions upheld under appeal Monday for their "continuing violations of the league's anti-bounty rule that endangered player safety over a three-year period." Payton's suspension begins April 16. Vitt's, however, does not begin until the end of the preseason, which makes him a possible candidate to fill the job as interim head coach.
Vitt's suspension is for six games. If the Saints give Vitt the job, he would be able to coach through the offseason programs and preseason, miss the first six games, then return to coach the final 10 (plus the playoffs if the Saints make it). There are several candidates on the Saints' staff to become the interim-interim head coach in Vitt's absence: defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.
If the Saints promote someone from their own staff to fill the vacancies, they do not have to comply with the Rooney Rule and interview a minority candidate.
Parcells, a Hall of Fame finalist, turns 71 in August. His last coaching job was in 2006 when he finished four years with the Dallas Cowboys. Had he returned to the sideline, he would have been ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration for another five years.
Clearly, Parcells was at one time leaning toward accepting the job if an offer came his way. He told Newsday last month that if asked by Payton, he likely would do it.
"If this guy says to me, 'Bill, I need you to do this,' " Parcells said at the time, "that's what friends are supposed to be for."
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