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Ex-Wolverines head coach reportedly fired from NFL gig

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

A former Michigan head coach is looking for a new job.

On Monday, David Newton of ESPN reported that Brady Hoke, who was serving as the defensive line coach for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, was fired amidst a four-game losing streak. The Panthers also let go of secondary and cornerbacks coach Jeff Imamura.

Carolina is 6-6 on the season and is coming off a 24-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hoke was in his first season with the Panthers and it was his first time on an NFL staff. But the former Michigan head coach couldn’t quite last through the full schedule.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said the decision to let go of Hoke and  Imamura was not an easy one to make.

“In my judgment, I felt this was best for the team moving forward,” Rivera said. “These are always difficult decisions, and I thank Brady and Jeff for their hard work.

“Ultimately, I’m charged with putting the team in the best position to succeed, and I felt these moves were necessary in order to do that.”

Carolina was Hoke’s third stop since being ousted as the head coach at Michigan. Following his four-year run in Ann Arbor, Hoke served as the defensive coordinator at Oregon in 2016. The following season, he joined the Tennessee staff as the defensive line coach. Hoke was the interim head coach for the Volunteers’ final two games in 2017 after Butch Jones was fired.

Hoke was 31-20 in four seasons with the Wolverines.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB