Former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien did not have a harmonious conclusion to his tenure with the AFC South club, where he had been the man on the sidelines since 2014.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, in the past few weeks leading up to his Oct. 5 firing, O’Brien was getting into quarrels with star players, coordinators, and other staff members.
O’Brien clashed frequently and loudly with players, coaches and staff during the final weeks of his seven-year tenure. That included O’Brien getting into a heated argument on the practice field with defensive end J.J. Watt along with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and separate verbal altercations with other staff members, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
If O’Brien was getting into it with Watt, then that could have been one of the final straws that chairman and CEO Cal McNair needed to see in order to give the 51-year-old the boot, even it was in four games into the season.
O’Brien is left to find another gig in the NFL or perhaps even college football. The Texans are left to recover a disastrous 0-4 start that will do nothing but improve the Miami Dolphins’ draft positioning as they own the Texans’ 2021 first and second round picks, capital exchanged for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills, one O’Brien’s many trades in 2019.