Redblacks fire head coach after three wins in 14 games this season
The Ottawa Redblacks have fired head coach Paul LaPolice.
The Redblacks announced that LaPolice has been relieved of his duties hours after the club returned from Vancouver following a 34-19 loss to the BC Lions.
The Redblacks have three wins in 14 games this season, sitting in last place in the East Division. LaPolice had a record of six wins and 22 losses in 28 games as head coach with the club.
"I have enjoyed working with Paul and thank him for his contributions to this team over the past two seasons; today isn’t an easy day,” Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke said in a statement. “In this business, sometimes a change is required to help move a team forward and that’s what we’ve done here."
In a statement on Twitter, LaPolice said while he disappointed, he understands that "coaches are fired."
"I am accountable for our record and we have not won enough games this season," LaPolice said. "I want to thank Roger Greenberg and the rest of the ownership group, as well as Mark Goudie and Adrian Sciarra."
LaPolice said Burke has been an "outstanding supportive general manager who always look to find solutions and it was a pleasure to work with him."
"I cannot thank enough the players, coaches, and staff that I had the honour and privilege to work with the past few years."
LaPolice was hired as head coach in December 2019,. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LaPolice guided the club to three wins in 2021 and three wins this season.
“Paul is a excellent man who has put everything he has into this job. But, unfortunately, we haven’t won nearly enough games,” said OSEG CEO Mark Goudie. “We are committed to getting back to what RNation deserves which is exciting and winning football.”
LaPolice said he will now spend some time with his family.
"I have loved my time with the people of this football team, I loved my time interacting with the people of Ottawa and I will now love to spend some much needed time with the family," LaPolice said.
Special teams coach Bob Dyce will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The Redblacks next game is Thanksgiving Monday in Montreal to face the Alouettes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.