So long, Freddie Kitchens.
The Cleveland Browns announced Sunday night they’d fired their head coach after the squad finished the 2019 season with a 6-10 record. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport spoke with an “emotional” Kitchens, who believed he had the support of the organization Sunday, after the news broke.
Just got off the phone with an emotional Freddie Kitchens. He believed he had organizational support. He did not. https://t.co/6263Mmh7c0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 30, 2019
Browns co-owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam thanked Kitchens “for his hard work and commitment to the organization” during his time in Cleveland, “but did not see the success or opportunities for improvement to move forward with him as our head coach.”
General manager John Dorsey also thanked Kitchens “for his dedication and efforts” in 2019, but says the team feels “a change is necessary.”
Statement from GM John Dorsey: pic.twitter.com/uhNoMsJOb1
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 30, 2019
Kitchens was hired by the Browns after Cleveland finished the 2018 season with a 7-8-1 record. Expectations for the Browns were higher than normal this season with players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt joining the squad, but Cleveland failed to gain much traction in 2019.
So much for that experiment.