The short but tumultuous Mike Kelly era in Winnipeg ended yesterday when the Blue Bombers fired the head coach on the same day he was charged with assault and harassment in a domestic dispute at his home near Philadelphia.
Kelly, who led the Bombers to a 7-11 record during a season in which he clashed regularly with players and members of the media, had been on the hot seat since the end of the CFL season.
But his fate turned quickly yesterday. First, the man who hired him, team president Lyle Bauer, announced his resignation. Then, word spread of Kelly's arrest in Pennsylvania.
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The Bombers scheduled an emergency board meeting last night during which they dismissed the man many of them - and most Winnipeg fans - had wanted to fire since midseason.
Bauer had proposed keeping Kelly under a plan in which his duties would be scaled back and he would undergo media training. And as of earlier this week, at least some members of the Bombers organization believed that would be the course of action.
However, that changed when Bauer announced his resignation yesterday, believing he could not coexist with recently appointed new chairman Bill Watchorn.
That left Kelly vulnerable and, in a bizarre coincidence, Kelly's arrest became known not long after Bauer made his resignation official.
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Bombers chairman Ken Hildahl said the club could afford to buy out the remainder of Kelly's contract. When asked whether the club had grounds to fire him with cause, Hildahl said that hadn't been discussed and would be dealt with later. A source said Kelly's contract had no morals clause within it.
Hildahl added the firing was "based strictly on [the]past year's performance" and didn't have anything to do with Kelly's arrest.
The chairman also hinted to reporters that Kelly was offered a chance to resign.
"It would have been our preference that the head coach resign but that didn't materialize so we're here tonight, the board dealt with it, we think it's in the best interest of the Winnipeg football club moving forward."
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Kelly was well known to Winnipeg when he was hired last off-season, having served as the team's offensive co-ordinator under Cal Murphy during the early 1990s when Bauer was a player.
Kelly then worked in personnel with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, during which time he maintained a friendship with Bauer. Kelly returned to the CFL as the Edmonton Eskimos' receivers coach in 2008. When the Bombers stumbled that season, Bauer fired former coach Doug Berry at its conclusion and brought in Kelly.
Even before the season began, Kelly was making news off the field. He publicly criticized the team's previous administration and referred to Saskatchewan as the "crotch of Canada."
During the season, he clashed with veterans Derek Armstrong and Barrin Simpson and often displayed contempt for fans and media members, going so far to swear on the air during a postgame interview with the team's rights holder.
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At the conclusion of Winnipeg's final regular season game, Kelly and Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Otis Floyd screamed at each other after the game.
The Bombers are in the market for both a head coach and a president. It is believed Hamilton defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall, who was with Winnipeg until the end of the 2008 season, will draw interest from the Bombers.
The club is apparently interested in speaking with former CFL commissioner Tom Wright about its vacant president's position.
It's not clear what will happen to Winnipeg's staff of assistants, all but one of whom are signed through next season.
With a report from The Canadian Press