Open letter from Ottawa Redblacks GM reflects on LaPolice firing and future of team
Posted Oct 5, 2022 05:00:00 PM.
Ottawa Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke has published an open letter following the firing of head coach Paul LaPolice.
“As you likely know by now, we’ve made a coaching change with Bob Dyce taking over as our head coach on an interim basis for the rest of the 2022 season,” he writes. “We look forward to finishing out this season by competing hard in our final 4 games while looking forward to the future and evaluating our coaching staff and players.”
He calls LaPolice “a great football man and an even better person,” adding that they didn't let go of him sooner as they wanted to give him the chance to overcome a tough start to the season and get to the playoffs.
“With back-to-back wins on August 27 and September 2 combined with the overall situation in the East division this year, that possibility was firmly alive until more recently,” Burke writes.
“Given where we stand today, I felt the time for a change had come so we can begin the process of turning our attention to 2023, that will include the search for a new head coach along with an infusion of more talent to fill some of the holes we see in our roster.”
He adds that although the results they want haven't materialized yet, the team has everything they need to be successful going forward and he's excited to be the GM.
“My vision for Redblacks football going forward is this – to build a winning culture that brings year to year consistency and a winning product to our fan base,” he writes. “We want to compete for East Division Championships and the opportunity to compete for the goal of every team in our league, which of course is the Grey Cup.”
