NFL head coach used 9/11 terrorists as model of exemplary teamwork, and now he's apologizing

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is apologizing after using the 9/11 terrorists an an example of exemplary teamwork.

During the Buffalo Bills' fall training camp in 2019, McDermott urged his team to "come together" using the "strange model" of the al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked America, NFL journalist Tyler Dunne revealed this week.

Dunne explained:

He told the entire team they needed to come together. But then, sources on hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection. One by one, McDermott started asking specific players in the room questions. "What tactics do you think they used to come together?" A young player tried to methodically answer. "What do you think their biggest obstacle was?" A veteran answered, "TSA," which mercifully lightened the mood.

McDermott, according to Dunne, apologized to his team later in the day for using the example.

At a press conference on Thursday, McDermott said he "regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message" that day and recounted the apology he shared with his team four years ago.

"I brought everybody together and said 'This was the goal, this was the intent, and I apologize if anyone whatsoever felt a certain type of way coming out of that meeting. If anyone misinterpreted or didn’t understand my message, I apologize,'" he said. "I didn’t do a good enough job of communicating clearly the intent of my message. That was about the importance of communication and that everyone needs to be on the same page, ironically enough. So that was important to me then and still is now."

Sean McDermott: "This is Important to Me" | Buffalo Billswww.youtube.com

On Friday, McDermott addressed Dunne's extensive article, which doesn't paint him in flattering light. He called the article "hurtful" and "an attack on my character."

"I know who I am," McDermott said at a press conference. "I know how I try to do things. Am I without flaw? No, I’m not without flaw and I say that humbly. I believe we try and do things right here. It doesn’t mean that everything we do is right, people are going to have their own opinions."

The article is not expected to have any impact on McDermott's job, according to NBC Sports.

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