Scott Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, announced Thursday that Kent Austin will transition into a new role with the team as a consultant for the football club. “Kent’s made a great contribution to a very successful period for the Tiger-Cats,? said Mitchell. “When you lead the team to three-straight Eastern Finals and two Grey Cup appearances, and play some of the most exciting playoff games in Tiger-Cats history, it’s a period of time that fans will never forget. We think we’re poised for another run and Kent has been a very important part of that architecture. We’re looking forward to his continued contribution, albeit in a new role.? In over four seasons as a head coach in Hamilton, Austin led the Tiger-Cats to two East Division titles, three Eastern Final appearances, and Grey Cup games in 2013 and 2014. The team also finished top-two in the East in four consecutive seasons (2013-16) under Austin, marking only the second time (1998-2001) the Tiger-Cats had done so since the 1960’s. “Roles in organizations change from time to time and I have been privileged to work for outstanding people for many years here in Hamilton,? said Austin. “As I transition to a new role, I am excited to continue to have the opportunity to play a part in the team’s future success and to cultivate even stronger relationships that have been developed during my career with the Tiger-Cats.? After appointing June Jones as Head Coach of the Tiger-Cats and stepping away from the role on August 24, 2017, Austin focused his efforts on his front office role to help lead the team back to where it had been since his arrival in Hamilton. Austin brought back Jones in December and led the Ticats through free agency that saw the return of all of the team’s key free agents including quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, wide receivers Brandon Banks and Luke Tasker, and defensive tackle Ted Laurent. Austin also made several important trades that put the Tiger-Cats in a great position for the upcoming 2018 CFL Draft where the team will make five selections in the top 20 picks. As Austin moves into a consulting role, the football operations structure remains intact under the leadership of General Manager Eric Tillman, Assistant General Manager and Director of Football Operations Shawn Burke, and Assistant General Manager and Director of Canadian Scouting Drew Allemang. “With Head Coach June Jones, Assistant Head Coach Orlondo Steinauer and Defensive Coordinator Jerry Glanville, in combination with the collective experience of Eric, Shawn and Drew, we feel very confident we have a structure and collective group of people who will help us get to where we want to be which is competing for the Grey Cup,? added Mitchell.
Well he can be thankful that Russ Jackson never was a great coach ie. administrator. The great ones usually never do turn out to be that, usually, not always of course. Gretzky was more or less a disaster. It'll be interesting how Calvillo turns out.
But KA seems to be an excellent fit into the CFHFM IMHO.
With Austin out, Ticats to go with “collaborative effort? in front office
General manager Eric Tillman, assistant general manager and director of football operations Shawn Burke, and assistant general manager and director of Canadian scouting Drew Allemang all remain with the organization but none of the trio has final say.
“Where we are right now, most of the hay is in the barn in terms of the big decisions that need to be made, now it’s about the competition in training camp. June will make those decisions in terms of the composition of the roster,? Mitchell said. “The ongoing personnel decisions will be a collaborative effort between Eric, Shawn and Drew in conjunction with others.? Mitchell confirmed that Tillman was not “in charge? of football operations and that assistant head coach Orlondo Steinauer will also play a role.
Mitchell said Austin’s role has been under review since he stepped down as head coach after an 0-8 start last season. Austin has said he prefers coaching and there were reports this winter that he was pursuing opportunities that would get him back on the side line. “Kent and I have had a lot of discussions about this and we had a lot of discussions about this going back to the mid-way point of last season,? Mitchell said. “Kent’s always been focussed on the success of the organization but I think he wants to look at where he wants to be in the future. This allows him to contemplate that.?
MORE HERE
Their are a lot of big name cooks in the kitchen with no head Chef, pretty much sums this up. :o
So fans and TiCat brass are happy with basically booting out a guy who has led this team to 2 Grey Cup appearances ( a penalty away from 1 championship) and 3 Eastern finals?? Wow!
Still a consultant but basically has been given his walking papers. Good luck Kent. Good, memorable years behind us. Unfortunately IMO, not to be repeated with JJ running the team! sorry!
So I'm guessing this is the Ticats way of making sure he gets a paycheck until the next HC gig comes available. A lot of negativity about the situation but here's my take and gasp it's positive all the way around. Kent did the honorable and stand up thing when he stepped down from the HC job and gave it to someone else. That had to be difficult and he handled it like a good guy and a professional. For that sacrifice and decency the Ticats are being honorable here by making sure he gets a check until his next job comes. They know he's leaving and paying him anyway for his self sacrifice and loyalty. This situation could not have been handled any better imo.
I appreciate Kent's efforts with the Ticats, on the sidelines and in the office. I hope things go very well for him, wherever his career moves take him.
He'll get his cheque regardless until the end of his contract, if not a buyout. If people actually read and comprehended the articles, they would know that he's still the point-man for the Manziel negotiations. I going to assume that Sean Burke (Assistant General Manager and Director of Football Operations) may be getting a promotion to VP-FO.
"The term 'consultant' is vague. He (Austin) can be a consultant from Louisiana. He doesn't have to stay here."
On who would now have final say on football decisions: "I would think it starts with (GM Eric) Tillman. You can call him a 1A and June Jones a 1B."
"That's going to be the interesting thing. Say June Jones wants Manziel on the team. Goes to Eric Tillman and Scott Mitchell. The discussion becomes term & price. Who takes the blame and the credit on what happens after?"
"Tillman is the trigger man here. Jones has the plan and then says to Tillman, "Now get guys like this."
"It's getting to be fun and it's not even June yet."
