An NFL coach has apologised after it emerged he had used the 9/11 hijackers as an example of teamwork during a meeting.
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott apologised for using the September 11 hijackers as an example of teamwork during a talk with his players back in 2019. He added that he "immediately" said sorry to his team following the incident.
US journalist and blogger Tyler Dunne claimed McDermott "cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection.”
Dunne went on to allege that the Buffalo Bills boss quizzed his players about what obstacles the attackers had faced, as well as asking them: "What tactics do you think they used to come together?"
Players were said to be stunned by the "strange" comments, while one member of the team was reportedly left "horrified".
Speaking at a press conference, McDermott seemed to admit he made the comments, adding that he "didn't do a good enough job of communicating clearly the intent of my message".
He said: "My intent in the meeting that day was to discuss the importance of communication and being on the same page with the team.
"I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day, and I immediately apologised to the team.
"Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country's history, but a day that I lost a good family friend.”
The 49-year-old, who is in his seventh season in charge of the NFL side, continued: "If anyone misinterpreted or didn't understand my message, I apologise.
"That was about the importance of communication and that everyone needs to be on the same page, ironically enough. So that was important to me then and still is now."
On September 11, 2001, nearly 3000 died after 19 men hijacked four passenger planes and crashed them into targets including New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
An attempt to steer the fourth plane into an unknown high-profile target failed when passengers staged a rebellion and caused the aircraft to crash in a field in Pennsylvania.
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