Even with the departure of Josh Freeman, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers circus continues in full force. Bucs coach Greg Schiano has reportedly lost the respect of the locker room because of his despotic ways. Schiano's brash attitude even led to the usually-amicable Peyton Manning cussing out the coach in 2012, Michael Silver of NFL.com reports.
Based on Silver's report, the Tampa Bay locker room sounds like hell on earth. An NFL player who was on the Bucs' roster in 2012 described the atmosphere as "like being in Cuba."
Schiano's authoritarian style of leadership has cost him the respect of his players, according to Silver.
"...I've spoken to enough people who've played for Schiano during his two NFL seasons to conclude that he treats his players like children, which is a major reason he has lost his locker room," Silver wrote on Thursday.
Silver added: "Several current Bucs players describe a similarly bleak environment in which the all-powerful, unyielding Schiano spews tone-deaf platitudes while demonstrating the personal charm of 'Homeland' character Nicholas Brody."
There've been issues between Schiano and his players before, most notably with Freeman. Schiano aired the team's dirty laundry by telling the media about Freeman's infractions, and the NFLPA believes may have Schiano leaked Freeman's status in the NFL's drug program to ESPN.
Some players also question whether Schiano rigged the players' captain election, which stripped Freeman of his captaincy.
Schiano's tyrannical behavior even extends to publically humiliating his own staff. Silver describes an instance in 2012 when special teams coach Bob Ligashesky walked onto the wrong area of the field during a practice drill:
"Instead of merely telling Ligashesky to watch where he walked, Schiano launched into a loud tirade and threatened to fire him if he repeated the mistake. When Ligashesky was let go following the season, it was hard not to draw a connection between the tantrum and that decision."
Ex-Buccaneers defensive end Michael Bennett, who now plays in Seattle, thinks Schiano suffers from a Napoleon complex.
"I think he just wants to flex his power," Bennett told Silver. "He has small (man's) syndrome. I still talk to guys who are there, and trust me, there's not much respect for him in that locker room."
Friction with the former Rutgers coach extends beyond the locker room. He's come under fire for instructing his defenders to dive at quarterbacks during kneel-downs, earning the anger of both Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.
"Peyton cussed him out," said Bennett. "And I ain't never heard Peyton cuss."
