Former ASU coach gets NFL interim head-coaching gig

The Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with head coach Josh McDaniels on Tuesday. Their new interim head coach will be a familiar name for Arizona State fans, and not in a good way.

Las Vegas Raiders hire former ASU coach as interim

The Raiders are off to a 3-5 start this season and have lost their last two games. McDaniels has a 20-33 record as a head coach and was 9-16 in his 1.5 seasons with the Raiders.

The Raiders released a statement on Tuesday on their decision.

“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” said Raiders owner Mark Davis. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”

Later the Raiders announced their decision for who would take over as interim coach, and it’s a name that will make Arizona State fans cringe.

Raiders choose former ASU coach Antonio Pierce as interim

The Raiders promoted their current linebacker coach Antonio Pierce to the interim head coaching position.

“The Las Vegas Raiders have named Antonio Pierce as the Interim Head Coach,” a statement from the Raiders read. “Pierce is in his second season as Linebackers coach with the Las Vegas Raiders, has seven years of coaching experience, and nine years of NFL playing experience. Before joining the Raiders, Pierce spent five seasons at Arizona State serving as Linebackers coach before adding the titles of associate head coach and defensive coordinator. The Las Vegas Raiders are committed to undergo a comprehensive search for a head coach once the season is complete.”

The statement, expectedly, failed to mention Pierce’s controversial scandal in Tempe.

Antonio Pierce at Arizona State

Pierce was allegedly the main conspirator in ASU football breaking NCAA rules during the COVID-19 dead period.

Allegedly Pierce orchestrated and conducted visits during the recruiting dead period, as well as contacting prospects.

The allegations from the dead period included the mother of a player purchasing tickets for travel to campus, staff members giving tours of up to a dozen recruits, and a position coach working out a prospect in a local park while he was in town and then later evaluating the video of the workout in an offensive staff meeting (per ESPN).

ASU was accused of multiple Level 1 Violations. The allegations led to multiple coaches resigning, including Pierce, as well as Arizona State self-inflicting a bowl ban for the 2023 season.

To make things worse for the Sun Devils, there are expected punishments coming from the NCAA. ASU’s nine major NCAA violations are more than any other major conference school.

Pierce was allegedly the mastermind behind those violations and left a trail of consequences that the new staff in Tempe are still trying to recover from. Now he has a golden opportunity to be the interim head coach for an NFL team.

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