GREEN BAY, Wis. -
A maintenance employee who's worked for the Green Bay Packers for more than two decades is fired after making a comment to head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday that 53-year-old Mike Wood was sitting in a maintenance cart in a stadium tunnel a few days before the Minnesota Vikings visited Lambeau Field. As McCarthy talked to members of the ground crew, Wood says he yelled out to McCarthy to "get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend."
A few days later, Wood was fired from the franchise he loves. Wood says his supervisors thought he told McCarthy not to lay an egg, or something similar.
The Packers organization says Wood's supervisors determined he made an inappropriate comment and he was dismissed.
During Coach McCarthy's Friday news conference, he addressed the issue with the following comments...
(What's your reaction to the controversy surrounding the firing of Mike Wood?)
Coach McCarthy: I'd like to address it. I was made aware of it this morning on my radio show, or a radio show I do in Milwaukee. I was taken back by it, naturally. I walk through that loading dock every day, and I had a conversation. A comment was made, I commented back, got in the car and had a chance to inquire to Allen about what the man's name was, and that's my involvement.
(He says he didn't make the comment. Are you sure it was him that made that comment?)
Coach McCarthy: Yes.
(You heard him say, 'Don't lay an egg'?)
Coach McCarthy: I was hoping you guys wouldn't go this far with this. I'm going to be honest with you. He is ... I don't really know the man. He made a comment to me, I made a comment to him. It's not the worst thing ever said. But I would not say that to a fellow employee. That's as far as I'm going to go with it.
(Did you ask anyone for him to be fired or disciplined?)
Coach McCarthy: Absolutely not.
(Do you think the Packers are becoming overly sensitive?)
Coach McCarthy: I don't think so.
(Did you suggest or recommend to Allen Johnson or Ted Eisenreich that he be dismissed?)
Coach McCarthy: It was a one-minute conversation, and that's the last I heard of it. I asked what his name was.
(What exactly did you hear him say?)
Coach McCarthy: Like I said, it's not the worst thing ever said, but I wouldn't say it to a fellow employee.
(Do you think the organization's course of action was correct?)
Coach McCarthy: I'm not involved in that decision, and frankly I had zero intention, zero conversation and zero ... conversation, intention, anything to do with that.
(Wouldn't you say you played a part in that decision?)
Coach McCarthy: It's not my responsibility. No I didn't.
(Hearing his remarks in the paper today, would you like to see him get his job back?)
Coach McCarthy: I've addressed it. Once again, I had one conversation, I inquired about what the man's name was. That's as far as I took the conversation, and now I'm answering questions about it.
(You said something back to him. What did you say?)
Coach McCarthy: Once again, he made a comment, I commented back to him, I walked to my car, another comment was made, and that was it.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday that 53-year-old Mike Wood was sitting in a maintenance cart in a stadium tunnel a few days before the Minnesota Vikings visited Lambeau Field. As McCarthy talked to members of the ground crew, Wood says he yelled out to McCarthy to "get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend."
A few days later, Wood was fired from the franchise he loves. Wood says his supervisors thought he told McCarthy not to lay an egg, or something similar.
The Packers organization says Wood's supervisors determined he made an inappropriate comment and he was dismissed.
During Coach McCarthy's Friday news conference, he addressed the issue with the following comments...
(What's your reaction to the controversy surrounding the firing of Mike Wood?)
Coach McCarthy: I'd like to address it. I was made aware of it this morning on my radio show, or a radio show I do in Milwaukee. I was taken back by it, naturally. I walk through that loading dock every day, and I had a conversation. A comment was made, I commented back, got in the car and had a chance to inquire to Allen about what the man's name was, and that's my involvement.
(He says he didn't make the comment. Are you sure it was him that made that comment?)
Coach McCarthy: Yes.
(You heard him say, 'Don't lay an egg'?)
Coach McCarthy: I was hoping you guys wouldn't go this far with this. I'm going to be honest with you. He is ... I don't really know the man. He made a comment to me, I made a comment to him. It's not the worst thing ever said. But I would not say that to a fellow employee. That's as far as I'm going to go with it.
(Did you ask anyone for him to be fired or disciplined?)
Coach McCarthy: Absolutely not.
(Do you think the Packers are becoming overly sensitive?)
Coach McCarthy: I don't think so.
(Did you suggest or recommend to Allen Johnson or Ted Eisenreich that he be dismissed?)
Coach McCarthy: It was a one-minute conversation, and that's the last I heard of it. I asked what his name was.
(What exactly did you hear him say?)
Coach McCarthy: Like I said, it's not the worst thing ever said, but I wouldn't say it to a fellow employee.
(Do you think the organization's course of action was correct?)
Coach McCarthy: I'm not involved in that decision, and frankly I had zero intention, zero conversation and zero ... conversation, intention, anything to do with that.
(Wouldn't you say you played a part in that decision?)
Coach McCarthy: It's not my responsibility. No I didn't.
(Hearing his remarks in the paper today, would you like to see him get his job back?)
Coach McCarthy: I've addressed it. Once again, I had one conversation, I inquired about what the man's name was. That's as far as I took the conversation, and now I'm answering questions about it.
(You said something back to him. What did you say?)
Coach McCarthy: Once again, he made a comment, I commented back to him, I walked to my car, another comment was made, and that was it.
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