Matt Rhule, the first NFL coach to be fired this season, went 11-27 with Carolina and leaves with roughly $40 million remaining on the seven-year, guaranteed $62 million contract he signed in 2020, when he made the jump from Baylor to the pros.
ATTACKED BY A PIT BULL IN OUR AREA. >> WE BEGIN WITH THE CAROLINA PANTHERS FIRING HEAD COACH MATT RHULE EARLY IN THE SEASON AFTER A ONE OF 4 START. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'M DEBRA MORGAN AND I'M DAN HAGGERTY. THE PANTHERS TOOK ANOTHER TOUGH LOSS YESTERDAY FOLLOWING THE SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINERS. >> AND TO OF ALL IS LONGTIME ASSISTANTS ARE ALSO OUT OF THE JOB. >> WRAL'S PAT WELTER IS LIVE AND CHARLOTTE AT BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM WHERE HE COVERED YESTERDAY'S GAME AND JOINS US NOW WITH MORE. PAT, LET'S TALK ABOUT ALL THE FORTY-NINERS READ THAT WE SAW IN THE STADIUM. YOU SAW THERE AS YOU ARE COVERING THE GAME, HAD TO HAVE PLAYED A ROLE SHOWING HOW FANS WERE JUST NOT SUPPORTING THE PANTHERS LIKE THEY USED TO IT. >> OWNER DAVID TEPPER, YOU KNOW, USED TO BE ONE OF THOSE FANS AND HE SAID TODAY THAT HE HEARS THE FANS AND WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON HERE FOR A LONG TIME NOW IN CHARLOTTE. THIS CHANCE OF FIRE RULE MOVES AT THE GAME HASHTAGS ON TWITTER. HE SEES IT. HE HEARS IT AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS IT YESTERDAY, DEBORAH, SOON AS I WALKED OUT ONTO THE FIELD, IT WAS IT'S HONESTLY JARRING. I'M THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS FAMILY SELF GROUP IN PITTSBURGH. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. YOU'VE HEARD OF THIS KIND OF THINGS MAYBE IN LOS ANGELES TYPE STADIUMS. WE SHOULDN'T SEE THAT HERE IN A MARKET LIKE CAROLINA AND I RAN INTO A FAN AFTER THE GAME BECAME REAL TO ME IS LIKE WE IN CHARLOTTE. THAT'S HOW JARRING IT WAS HERE AT THIS GAME. NEVER READ WAS EVERYWHERE. A LOT OF THE BLUE THAT YOU SAW, THE END OF THE GAME WAS JUST EMPTY SEATS. YOU KNOW, MAY BE THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK. BUT IT WAS A CAMEL THAT THE HUMP WAS WAS SLUMPING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. A LOT OF FANS ARE THINKING. >> YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T REALLY AN IF QUESTION, BUT WHEN WHEN IT CAME TO TO THE HEAD COACH. SO WHAT IS THE FEELING NOW? IT COULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH OF A SHOCK. YEAH, I MEAN, THE PLAYERS HAVE KIND OF SAID THE RIGHT THINGS IN THE LOCKER ROOM. AND I THINK ONE THING YOU SEE IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, IF YOU'RE A NICE GUY AND YOU TREAT PEOPLE, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT LONGER OF A LEASH AND THAT RULE TO HIS CREDIT HAS STOOD UP THERE AT THESE PRESS CONFERENCES IN TAKEN THE TOP COURT'S QUESTIONS. HE'S ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY. >> IT WAS JUST GETTING TO A POINT WHERE IS JUST UNTENABLE WHEN YOU'RE GOING INTO THE LOCKER ROOM AND ARE ASKING PLAYERS, HEY, IS THERE ARE SPLINTERING IN THE LOCKER ROOM. YOU STILL BELIEVE IN YOUR HEAD COACH AND THEY TELL YOU, YES. WELL, HOW CAN YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE IN ONE THIS TEAM HAD LOST 7 OF THEIR LAST 7 GAMES LAST SEASON AS ONE IN 4 TO START THIS YEAR HAS HAD 3 DIFFERENT STARTING QUARTERBACKS BROUGHT IN. THEY HAVE ALL FILLED THAT CHAINS. MULTIPLE COORDINATORS ULTIMATELY IT WAS ALL POINTING BACK AT HIM. THE THINGS WE'RE WORKING HERE, THE CHANGE HAD TO BE MADE. >> WELL, THE PLAYERS DID GIVE HIM THE GAME BALL JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE INTERIM COACH NOW. WHO'S THAT GOING TO BE? AND DOES HE HAVE A SHOT AT BEING THE NEXT HEAD COACH? >> WELL, LOOK, STEVE WILKS IS A CHARLOTTE NATIVE. THIS IS A GUY THAT KNOWS THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN AN ASSISTANT HERE A LONG TIME. HE WAS ALSO A HEAD COACH WITH THE ARIZONA CARDINALS FIRED AFTER A VERY SHORT TIME THERE. SO HE DOES HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE. HE'S ALREADY MAKING SOME MOVES. THE CHANGES THAT YOU'VE SEEN WITH THE STAFF, SPECIFICALLY THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, PHIL SNOW. WELL, ARGUABLY THE DEFENSE, THE STRONGEST THAT HE MIGHT NOT EVEN ARGUABLY THOUGHT DEBATABLE. IT WAS. BUT HE'S A MATT RHULE. GUYS, I THINK WE'RE SEEING HERE IS THE BOOKS ALREADY PUTTING HIS THUMB PRINT ON THE TEAM. WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM HIM TOMORROW. AND DAVID TEPPER SAID THAT HE DID HAVE A CHANCE TO EARN THE JOB WE'VE SEEN AND COACHES COME IN. AND IN RALEIGH, A TEAM FOR A SHORT TIME. IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT YOU SEE THAT GUY ULTIMATELY GET THE JOB PERSONALLY. I SO EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN. YOU CAN'T RULE IT OUT, BUT HE ALSO GOING TO BE STACKED AGAINST THEM HERE BECAUSE THE STARTING QUARTERBACK, BAKER MAYFIELD, IS NOW OUT WITH A HIGH ANKLE SPRAIN. HIS BACKUP QUARTERBACK SAM DARNOLD ALSO HAS A HIGH ANKLE SPRAIN. HE'S ON THE IR YOU'RE DOING WITH A THIRD-STRING REALLY A FOURTH-STRING QUARTERBACK BECAUSE THEY DRAFTED MATT CORRAL OUT OF OLE MISS IN THE 3RD ROUND OF THIS YEAR'S NFL DRAFT TO BE THE 3RD STRING QUARTERBACK. HE'S OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH A LISFRANC INJURY. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS WHY NOT RULE ULTIMATELY DIDN'T REALLY EVEN HAVE A CHANCE THIS SEASON. BUT IN THE NFL, IF KHAN IS DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU ALL EVEN AND WHEN YOU LOSE 11 OF YOUR LAST 12, EVENTUALLY GOT OUT OF A COIN FLIP. GO YOUR WAY. AND HE JUST WASN'T PULLING THAT OFF. AND THAT'S WHAT GOT HIM FIRED. PAT WELTER LIVE FOR US IN CHARLOTTE AND HE'S DOWN THERE MUCH LONGER. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE A COUPLE OF SNAPS FOR THE
