The tension had to go somewhere if it wasn’t resolved, and it finally was alleviated in the form of one person having to leave. Scott Pioli wielded the power, so it’s obvious that he’s the one who got to stay with the Kansas City Chiefs as the general manager while Todd Haley lost his job. The tension had been brewing for a long time, but there’s an interesting note that explains it might have been brewing later than people would think.
As Andrew Brandt of the National Football Post weighs in on recent firings of coaches that had been on the hot seat and their relationship to the front office, he also drops in an interesting tidbit about the tension between the two. He writes:
In Kansas City, the relationship between general manager Scott Pioli and Haley turned into, as Billy Joel sang, “the cold remains of a passionate start.” I remember seeing general manager Scott Pioli and Haley together at the Combine; they seemed inseparable and joined at the hip. Obviously, that changed due to time, losing and different philosophies about the team. I am told that the lack of communication recently between the two was palpable and affecting the rest of the building.
Perhaps it was Haley’s handling of the preseason that coincided with some longtime disagreements that finally led to the tension. Perhaps even as late as last February, the two had worked out their issues enough to work together again. It’s hard to tell what exactly went on behind the scenes, but Brandt’s anecdote adds another layer of perspective.