The Steelers are moving on from one of Mike McCarthy‘s new staff hires well before the season. Senior special teams coach Derius Swinton is out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.
Swinton is believed to have engaged in workplace misconduct, ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor notes. The Steelers hired Swinton as a right-hand man for special teams coordinator Danny Crossman in February. Swinton, 41, has been an NFL assistant since the 2009 season.
Crossman joined the Steelers as their Danny Smith replacement; Smith, who is now with the Buccaneers, was a target to retain under McCarthy. But Crossman became the team’s pick once Smith left for Florida, leading to Swinton’s hire soon after. Now, Pittsburgh is without a top lieutenant for its new ST boss.
Swinton finished last season as the Raiders’ interim ST coordinator, taking over in that role after Pete Carroll fired Tom McMahon in November. A 2023 Josh McDaniels hire retained by Carroll, Swinton worked with new Steelers DC Patrick Graham during his time in Las Vegas. Swinton, however, had not previously worked on a McCarthy staff or with Crossman.
The lack of connections to the new Pittsburgh HC and ST coordinator made for an interesting fit, but Swinton has been coaching in the NFL since 2009. The Steelers were his ninth NFL employer. He had been a special teams coordinator twice — with the 49ers in 2016 and with the Chargers in 2021 — but mostly has resided on the assistant STC level. He has held that role for the Raiders, Cardinals, Bears and Broncos prior to his appointment in Pittsburgh.
Maybe he just didn’t want to be on a team with Aaron Rodgers. A lot of people could feel that way. LOL
I interpret “Workplace misconduct” as basically a euphemism for inappropriate advances towards female staffers.
Or male staffers, who knows… but yeah, I was thinking that even before the “workplace misconduct” report came out, just because of the way things were worded and the timing.
An inappropriate advance to a 300 pound male staffer could land you in the hospital ICU, so that would probably not be the best option 🙂
Yeah, could be something else, like anger outbursts, but it does impart that impression.
I’d love to know what “work place misconduct” means in this context
Sources say it was a “violation of club policy”. I’ve heard it’s because he refused to wash and wax ARods Lambo.