His family gave him their blessing to return, but as Redskins coach Joe Gibbs boarded the plane home from Charlotte, N.C., Monday afternoon, their words didn’t matter. Instead, he followed his heart.
And that led him back to Charlotte and retirement.
“I had a real strong feeling of where I felt like I should be,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs resigned Tuesday morning after four seasons and with one year, and $5 million, left on his original contract. He will also step down as team president, though he will serve as an adviser to owner Dan Snyder. Gibbs will remain in town through the transition, but will not keep an office here after the new coach is named.
Gibbs, 67, informed Snyder of his decision over dinner Monday night. They stayed up until 2:30 a.m. talking, Gibbs said, but one Redskins source said he knew by 11 p.m. Monday that it was finalized.
Gibbs, nearly 15 years after he retired the first time, appeared very much at peace with his decision, smiling and laughing throughout much of the 55-minute press conference in front of a packed Redskins Park auditorium. But his voice cracked twice during the conference.
“Mixed emotions,” he said. “Part of me wanted to be here when we go back and win it all. I’m excited about where I am and this is where I’m supposed to go and what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Two reasons led to the decision:
Family » Gibbs’ family is based in the Charlotte suburbs. His wife, two sons, their wives and grandkids all live in the same area. Gibbs’ 3-year-old grandson, Taylor, is undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Gibbs has talked several times this season about his family and his desire to spend time with them, more strongly than in previous years. And safety Sean Taylor’s death reinforced his desire.
“I told [Snyder] that I could not make the kind of commitment I needed to make knowing what my family situation was,” Gibbs said. “I felt like they needed me. … The most important thing to leave on Earth are your kids and grandkids.”
But Gibbs said he did not give this much thought during the season. However, the visit with his family, which included a Sunday night Scrabble match with his grandkids, cemented the decision.
Building blocks » Though family was the primary reason for retiring, Gibbs also felt good about the direction of the franchise. The Redskins have made the playoffs two of the last three seasons and he liked how many key young players they had on the roster.
Gibbs was not in the mood to walk away after last season’s 5-11 finish. He went 30-34 during the regular season in his four years, but went 9-7 this year with four straight wins to close the regular season.
“Last year I know I had a feeling that we’ve got to fix this,” Gibbs said.
But this time is different.
“I definitely feel that we’ve got the things in place to do what we want to do going forward,” Gibbs said. “I want to see it finished.”
But his future role is only as an adviser, not as someone who will be active in choosing the next coach.
Snyder said Gibbs’ loss is huge.
“The players, they would go through a wall for this man,” Snyder said. “I tried very hard to convince Joe not to retire. This is something no one wanted to see happen, but we all respect it and understand it. Joe will always be the best of Washington. You can never replace Joe Gibbs.”
Fond farewell
» Approximately three dozen fans arrived early Tuesday night at Redskins Park. Gibbs later signed autographs and handed out signed copies of his book, “Racing to Win.” Some fans hugged Gibbs; all cheered as he emerged from the facility.
» Gibbs did not tell his assistants of his decision until a staff meeting Tuesday morning. Nor did he give any of them an idea of what he was thinking when he left for Charlotte on Sunday afternoon.
