Lions head coach Dan Campbell said today that he didn’t want to fire defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, but the Lions’ struggles this season demanded it.
“I think Aubrey is a hell of a coach. I have a ton of respect for him. It was a tough decision, but we’re a production-based business and after seven weeks, it just felt like this change needed to be made,” Campbell said. “I wish him the best of luck and I appreciate everything he’s put into it. He put his heart and soul into everything he did.”
Campbell called firing an assistant the worst part of a head coach’s job but said it was necessary because the Lions’ secondary hasn’t gotten any better over the first seven games of the season.
“I thought about it a long time last night, didn’t sleep and thought about it some more, then woke up this morning and this was the decision we had to make,” Campbell said. “It’s all-encompassing after seven weeks.”
Safeties coach Brian Duker and defensive quality control coach Addison Lynch will handle Pleasant’s pervious responsibilities.