Two months after being announced as a member of the New England Patriots’ coaching staff, Greg Schiano announced Thursday he is stepping down.
“I have informed Mr. (Robert) Kraft and Coach (Bill) Belichick that I am stepping down from my position at the Patriots,” Schiano said in a statement. “This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family. I don’t want to look back years from now and wish I had done things differently. Therefore, I am taking time away from the game to recalibrate my priorities.”
The decision seemed to surprise everyone, including the Patriots. Also on Thursday, Belichick complimented Schiano on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s SiriusXM show, “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K.”
“He’s a very experienced and outstanding fundamental coach,” Belichick said in the interview. “He’s a good teacher and has a lot of experience in both the college and pro game … I think he’ll be a great addition.”
Schiano, who most recently coached at Ohio State, has indicated that his faith plays a role in his life in a variety of different ways, from players he has coached, to donating proceeds from his Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award to two organizations — the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Athletes in Action — to his Twitter bio, which cites John 15:5.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” — John 15:5
While Schiano has not further elaborated on his decision to resign, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said, “When you talk to people close to the situation, they say a couple things: First of all, this is something that he, Schiano, has been mulling for the last two weeks or so. So, the Patriots have been aware of this,” Rapoport said.
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