Jacksonville Jaguars spokesman Dan Edwards confirmed this morning that head coach Jack Del Rio was fired today and that a news conference is scheduled at noon at EverBank Field.
Mid-morning, reports surfaced on Twitter accounts that Jaguars majority partner Wayne Weaver would also announce he has sold the team.
Asked if the team has been sold, minority owner Preston Haskell said “not to my knowledge” and said he couldn’t comment. “I simply will have to wait until the 12 o’clock news conference,” he said.
Channel 4 cited an ESPN report that Weaver also will announce the sale today and that the National Football League would need to approve the sale.
ESPN also reported that the team would remain in Jacksonville.
According to ESPN and CNNSI.com, the team will be sold to Shahid Khan, owner of Urbana, Ill.-based auto parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate. Early last year, Khan had plans in place to purchase 60 percent of the St. Louis Rams before it fell through due to a right-of-first refusal invoked by then minority owner and current majority owner Stan Kroenke.
Earlier this morning, asked the circumstances of Del Rio’s firing, Edwards said he would not provide any more details, other than it “would be safe to say” that Weaver fired Del Rio, who has a 69-73 record as the Jaguars coach. Del Rio replaced inaugural head coach Tom Coughlin in 2003.
The team is 3-8 heading into the Monday night game with the San Diego Chargers at EverBank Field.
ESPN.com reported this morning that defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is the leading candidate to take over the team on an interim basis. It pointed out Del Rio last led the Jaguars to a winning record in 2007 when the team was 11-5.
During his tenure as Jaguars coach, Del Rio had three winning seasons in 2004, 2005 and 2007 and went to the playoffs twice, compiling a 1-2 record. After a 2007 playoff victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round and a loss to the then-undefeated New England Patriots, Del Rio signed a contract extension through the 2012 season.
Del Rio was hired after serving as defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers after the 2001 season, when the unit was second best in the league. Before that, he served as linebackers coach with the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2001.
He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and spent 11 years playing linebacker for a number of teams.