Cheese Curds, 4/3: Mike McCarthy finally speaks about his firing, and he’s not happy

Mike McCarthy has been spending the past few months trying to find a routine. The former Green Bay Packers coach, who was unceremoniously removed from his job with four games remaining in the 2018 season, is trying to find some semblance of normalcy in his first year outside of coaching in over three decades. Finally, this week he spoke out for the first time about the circumstances around his firing, his reaction to it, and how he plans to spend the next year despite still living in Green Bay.

It’s clear that McCarthy is unhappy — pissed off, even — about how the firing was handled. It seems that much of his frustration is focused on Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy, who was the person who delivered the news to him. The following quotes sum up his reaction:

(W)hen I was told Mark Murphy wanted to see me -- and the messenger was cold and the energy was bad. Mark said it was an ugly loss, and it was time to make change ... There was no emotion to it. That was hard ... That exit, frankly, Rob, the exit really stuck with me for a while. It was hard to swallow.

One of Murphy’s public comments also resulted in some bristling for McCarthy: when Murphy revealed that a players’ council, which the team compiled to help provide input on a new coach, communicated a feeling of complacency. Unsurprisingly, McCarthy was displeased by this as well:

When you throw out words like complacency and accountability, that bothered me. That’s not accurate.

As far as the split, it’s becoming clear that it was necessary. Mike’s wife, Jessica, even told her husband she was “relieved” for him in the immediate aftermath of the firing, in part because the job as “beat the hell out of” him in recent years. But the Packers’ handling of the situation, the timing and the delivery of the decision, deserves to be criticized.

There’s lots to unpack, so let’s read up.

Inside Mike McCarthy's split with Packers and what's next for him | ESPN.com
Here's the full interview of McCarthy, as he sat down with ESPN's Rob Demovsky. In addition to his firing the former coach talks about his relationship with Aaron Rodgers, his plans for the coming year, and much more.

Receiver Geronimo Allison determined to 'leave my mark' with Packers | Packersnews.com
Allison is ready for a breakout season in year four, and he credits McCarthy with helping him develop as a receiver -- forcing him to learn every receiver position as a rookie and understand how NFL offenses function.

Tight end will have role to play in Packers’ offensive multiplicity | Packers.com
Can Jimmy Graham have a big bounce-back year under Matt LaFleur? At the very least, the scheme should help him do so.

Packers WR Davante Adams was dominant on third down in 2018 | Packers Wire
FTFY: Packers WR Davante Adams was dominant in 2018.

Alliance of American Football to suspend operations during inaugural season | SI.com
Rest in peace, AAF. We hardly knew ye.

Police: Men take turns wearing bulletproof vest to shoot each other | WTAE.com
This seems like a scene out of Super Troopers. Believe it or not, alcohol was involved.

Inside Mike McCarthy's split with Packers and what's next for him | ESPN.com
Here's the full interview of McCarthy sitting down with ESPN's Rob Demovsky to discuss his firing, his relationship with Aaron Rodgers, and much more.