If you know about Atlanta Falcons lore, then you know about the infamous Bobby Petrino.
Hired as the tenth different coach in their history, Petrino was brought in to be the offensive mind that would help catapult superstar quarterback Michael Vick into the Super Bowl. Instead, he ditched the team when times got tough.
Bobby Petrino ran from the Falcons with his tail between his legs
Signing a five-year, $24 million contract, Bobby Petrino took over the Atlanta Falcons, who had a young superstar in Michael Vick.
However, Vick was arrested before the two could hit the ground running. And to make things worse, the team had just traded backup Matt Schaub to the Texans.
They went into the season with Chris Redman, Byron Leftwich, and Joey Harrington as their quarterbacks, and, predictably, started the season 3-10.
After their tenth loss of the season, Petrino reassured owner Arthur Blank he wouldn't resign. Less than 24 hours later, Blank learned that his head coach had resigned while watching TV. Blank later said it felt like a "betrayal."
For the players, they found out by a short note left in their lockers that morning.
"Out of my respect for you, I am letting you know that, with a heavy heart, I resigned today as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This decision was not easy, but it was made in the best interest of me and my family. While my desire would have been to finish out what has been a difficult season for us all, circumstances did not allow me to do so. I appreciate your hard work and wish you the best."Bobby Petrino note left in lockers
Haha, "respect" he says...
And what kind of "circumstances" didn't "allow" him to keep coaching the team who commited $24 million to him? How stupid did he think everyone was?
Petrino left to become Arkansas' head coach, a position he actually stuck with for three years before he was fired after a sketchy incident involving a motorcycle crash and a girl he had hired and showered with gifts.
Beyond his unexplainable departure, the head coach was already disliked by his players. He was seen as wild, closed off, and distant. Players said he would enter the building and completely ignore everyone he passed in the hallway.
All of this has left Bobby Petrino with the title of 'the worst head coach in Atlanta Falcons history.' He tied for the third-shortest tenure as head coach in NFL history, along with Lou Holtz and Urban Meyer.
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But hey, at least he (or his assistant) took the time to laminate the note he left in the lockers. Surely, the players were worried they would get damaged over time.