Greg Schiano announced Thursday that he’s stepping down as the defensive coordinator of the Patriots.
“I have informed Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick that I am stepping down from my position at the Patriots. This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family. I don’t want to look back years from now and wish I had done things differently. Therefore, I am taking time away from the game to recalibrate my priorities.”
Here’s a statement from Patriots HC Bill Belichick:
“I respect Coach Schiano greatly and appreciate his contributions to our staff and team. He is a friend who we support completely.”
The Patriots hired Schiano as their defensive coordinator shortly after they lost Brian Flores to the Dolphins.
Brett Bielema previously came up as a potential coordinator candidate for New England, so he could be worth keeping an eye on.
Schiano, 52, began his college coaching career back in 1989 as a graduate assistant for Rutgers. Since then, Schiano worked at Penn State, Miami and for the Chicago Bears before he was hired as the Buccaneers head coach in 2012.
Schiano lasted two seasons in Tampa Bay before he was fired by the Buccaneers. After a few years out of college, Schiano was hired to run Ohio State’s defense.
Last year, Schiano actually agreed to a deal to become the next head coach at Tennessee before the school backed out of the deal, due to backlash they received from the move.
During his two seasons as the Buccaneers head coach, Schiano posted a record of 11-21 (34.4 percent).
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