The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States were a horrible tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people. Given the somberness of the event, it probably shouldn’t be used as an example of great teamwork, especially in a formal meeting. But apparently, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott didn’t get that memo.
This week, independent journalist Tyler Dunne shared a pretty jarring anecdote about Sean McDermott, revealing that the Bills coach used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as an example of perfect teamwork.
“At St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., McDermott’s morning address began innocently enough. He told the entire team to come together. But then, sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection.”
Obviously, it’s a horrible and crass reference to such a tragic event, and it quickly went viral on social media with people offering their reactions to his comments.
issuing correction on a previous speech of mine, regarding the people who did 9/11. you do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to them" https://t.co/rx9rnA2Y3B
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) December 7, 2023
Un-be-lieve-a-ble. One of the the dumbest people on the planet https://t.co/XAVvf9vp0t
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) December 7, 2023
Bad communication again? Weird. I haven’t really seen that impact the team on the fie…wait… https://t.co/AcBYaagnnp
— Chad DeDominicis (@CMDeDominicis) December 7, 2023
But what did Sean McDermott mean when he told Josh Allen this week he needs to have a "Yasser Arafat Grindset"? https://t.co/lnNTMagtib
— stanman (@stanman42069) December 8, 2023
“And further, in using the term “Atta Boy,” it was not my intention to refere- https://t.co/Af7ZqKKXpF
— ANTIFAldo (@ANTIFAldo) December 7, 2023
miscommunication regarding the importance of communication perfectly encompasses the mcdermott bills https://t.co/FPC2B5WkpW
— bbJJ Fiancé bbJJ (@BBJay_716) December 7, 2023
“I misspoke, I meant to say Al-Qaeda, the hardworking and unwavering group of terrorists I admire, were the bad guys. Honest mistake!” https://t.co/pvYXkIRamq
— Nol (@nolanc79) December 7, 2023
During a press conference on Thursday, McDermott apologized for the comments, saying he “regretted mentioning 9/11.”
“I want to reference the team meeting that has been brought up,” McDermott said regarding the incident from training camp in 2019 according to Pro Football Talk. “My intent in the meeting that day was to discuss the importance of communication and being on the same page with the team. I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day, and I immediately apologized to the team. Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country’s history, but a day that I lost a good family friend.”
It certainly was not a careful choice of words by McDermott.
