Jimmy Garoppolo lost his starting job but he has handled it with grace, according to interim Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
Raiders owner Mark Davis enacted a major shakeup earlier this week, firing general manager Dave Ziegler, head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi after a disappointing 3-5 start to the season.
Additionally, Garoppolo was benched in favor of Aidan O’Connell as the starting quarterback.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Pierce, the former Giants linebacker who took over for McDaniels, said he was proud of how Garoppolo handled the demotion.
“Your sensitive to it, but you’re direct. You just nip it in the bud, which we did. We talked about it like grown men,” Pierce said of his conversation with Garoppolo, as covered by ProFootballTalk.
“But at the end of the day, Jimmy is on our team. Jimmy’s still a captain. Jimmy’s still a leader. I’m sure at some point, Jimmy’s going to have the ball in his hand again. Things happen. It’s the National Football League. You’re never going to say, ‘It’s 100 percent this is how we’re going to do it.’ Things can happen.”
Pierce expressed gratitude for how Garoppolo has responded to the whole situation.
“I’m very appreciative to Jimmy,” he continued.
“Since Jimmy has been here, he’s done nothing but become a pro and really taught our team to be a pro and also how to win, and when I say win, I’m not talking about on the grass always. I’m talking about in the meeting rooms, how to carry yourself, how to talk, how to handle adverse situations, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
The Raiders host the Giants Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
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