Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane Responds to Sean McDermott 9/11 Story

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott was scrutinized for a series of stories before Week 14, but GM Brandon Beane quickly defended him and gave an update on the locker room.

On Thursday, Tyler Dunne released a 20,000-word story detailing Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure in Western New York and the missteps that have defined it.

However, it’s impossible to have an honest conversation about the article and the fallout from it without understanding that this was not a hit piece. There is no ax to grind, there is no malicious attempt to besmirch McDermott or the Bills. Anonymous sources are a critical aspect of journalism and its truth-seeking processes, not a way to assert an agenda.

This was good journalism, and McDermott’s admission of guilt as it related to the most infamous aspect of the story only adds to its legitimacy.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane (left) and head coach Sean McDermott (right) / James P. McCoy | Buffalo News

McDermott spent the latter half of the week under fire for many aspects of Dunne’s story, none more notable than his speech about communication and cohesion—that gave credit to the hijackers of 9/11.

McDermott called the story an attack on his character but did call an impromptu press conference to apologize for that speech.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane spoke on Friday in response to the controversy, the most recent fiasco to come out of a season that has the Bills at 6-6 and falling well short of Super Bowl expectations.

“Obviously when you’re in leadership positions, you’ve got a lot of people looking up to you,” Beane said. And none of us are perfect … I think Sean acknowledged that. I went into the team meeting yesterday, I think he talked to [the media] first, went into the team meeting and I thought it was very authentic.

“I thought the guys all saw that, felt that, and know Sean for who he is. I think you guys that have been around here some years know who Sean’s character is. I’ll stand by his character every day of the week.”

Other anecdotes from the story include (but are not limited to) being angry that a coach was surprised with a new vehicle from the receiving corps as a show of their appreciation and bad-mouthing former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton while his longtime coach (and then offensive coordinator) Ken Dorsey was in the room.

Dorsey was fired after Buffalo fell to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football earlier this season. Previous defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who had been with the team for McDermott’s entire tenure, left the Bills after last season.

Some have concluded that there’s nobody else to fire and blame Buffalo’s shortcomings on. Whether it be bad luck, poor coaching, an eroding culture, or an assortment of factors, the Bills have put together talented rosters with a superstar quarterback and have little to show for it.

Sean McDermott Under Fire for 'Horribly' Insensitive 9/11 Speech

Whether McDermott deserves to be dismissed for falling short on the field or the discord that has been reported off of it is for each Bills fan to ponder. Beane, at least publicly, remained steadfast in his support for the coach.

“Everyone is 100 percent behind Sean,” Beane said. “ … Everyone is truly focused; it’s been a good week of practice. I know we’ve had a couple hiccups here that we’ve had to deal with off the field, but out there, you wouldn’t know it … The guys are going to rally. There’s two things you can do. You can divide, or you can rally. And I expect this team to rally.”

Buffalo will have that opportunity on Sunday when it visits the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kickoff for that game is at 4:25 p.m. (ET) on CBS.