Greg Schiano steps down from New England Patriots gig

After Urban Meyer stepped down as Ohio State Buckeyes’ head coach following the Rose Bowl, some of his assistants left the program as well, many on the defensive side of the ball. Greg Schiano, the defensive coordinator for the Bucks at the time, was one of those assistants to seek opportunities elsewhere. He quickly landed a spot with the New England Patriots, in a role thought to be the Super Bowl champions’ new defensive coordinator and/or defensive play-caller.

On Thursday, however, Schiano made the announcement that he was stepping down from his role with the Pats, and will be spending more time with his family.

In a statement made by both Schiano and head coach Bill Belichick on the team website, the former Buckeye coordinator stated:

This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family.

Schiano was entering his third stint in the NFL. In the 1990s, he was on the Chicago Bears coaching staff and in 2012-13, he was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl LIII winning campaign after defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.