Jaguars Fire Tom Coughlin

Jaguars fire Tom Coughlin after NFLPA grievances, Shad Khan steps in after relieving Coughlin of his duties "immediately."

The Jacksonville Jaguars have relieved Tom Coughlin of his duties as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, the team announced Wednesday. The move was effective as of "this evening." 

General manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone will now report directly to Jaguars owner Shad Khan on an "interim basis," the owner said in a statement. 

"I determined earlier this fall that making this move at the conclusion of the 2019 season would be in everyone's best interests but, in recent days, I reconsidered and made the change immediately," Khan said. 

Coughlin's firing comes after the the Jaguars tried to require injured players to get all rehab treatment at the team facility. In 2018, Jacksonville defensive end Dante Fowler was fined over $700,000 for missing "mandatory" appointments with team trainers or physicians in the offseason, but under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams cannot require rehabilitation or medical appointments at team facilities during the offseason. 

The NFLPA won its grievance against the Jaguars after disputing the fines.

A memo sent by the NFLPA to players on Monday noted that "in the last two years, more than 25% of the grievances filed by players in the entire league have been filed against the Jaguars."

"You as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club," the memo read.

Following his release, Coughlin released a statement acknowledging his time in Jacksonville.

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— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) December 19, 2019

Coughlin has been part of the Jaguars' front office since 2017 as its executive VP of football operations. Prior to that, he was the senior advisor to football operations to the NFL in 2016 and coached the New York Giants to two Super Bowls from 2004-15. He was also the first ever head coach of the Jaguars from 1995-2002.

The Jaguars hold a 5-9 record and are last in the AFC South.