BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Hank Stram. The Hall of Fame coach is why Dave Gettleman isn’t afraid to make the tough decisions that helped the Carolina Panthers reach Super Bowl 50 this past season.
Carolina’s general manager recalls vividly a comment the former Kansas City Chiefs coach made later in life when asked why he was fired in 1974, five seasons after winning Super Bowl IV.
“He said, ‘I was too close to those guys. I couldn’t cut them,'" Gettleman said Tuesday during a break in the NFL owners meeting. “So he gets fired.