Following the dismissal of Josh McDaniels by the Las Vegas Raiders, the team made a move that surprised all ASU fans, naming Antonio Pierce interim head coach.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Sources; Raiders are planning to name LB coach Antonio Pierce as their interim head coach. pic.twitter.com/ABVVZSCsV8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2023
Pierce was formally the linebackers coach for the Raiders. He held the position since 2022 when he resigned as Arizona State’s defensive coordinator in Feb. 2022 due to the NCAA violations incurred by the school.
The former NFL linebacker started his career at ASU in 2017 as the linebackers coach. In 2020, he was promoted to co-defensive coordinator and in 2021, he became the lone defensive coordinator.
However, Pierce was linked to numerous recruiting violations that eventually resulted in a self-imposed bowl ban for this year’s team.
He was reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel to have pushed the boundaries of allowing recruits to visit the campus during the COVID-19 dead period. His role in these violations set the school back a few years. The team was unfortunately not really punished until this year, although Pierce was the last of six full-time staff members to resign in light of this investigation outside of head coach Herm Edwards.
Edwards was later let go three games into the 2022 season.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
