According to a report from Washington Post Sports writer Jake Russell, DC Defenders Defensive Coordinator Jeff Fitzgerald has resigned from the team, citing the unforeseen need to be closer to family.

To fill this unexpected gap, Head Coach Pep Hamilton has promoted Louie Cioffi, the teams Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach, to the Defensive Coordinator role. Cioffi is an extremely experienced coach in his own right, having over 20 years of NFL coaching experience as a Defensive Backs Coach. Cioffi was most recently the AAF’s Atlanta Legends Linebackers Coach and had a stop at Division 1-AA FCS Southeastern Louisiana as the Defensive Coordinator in 2018.

To fill the Secondary Coaching role that won’t be occupied by the newly promoted Cioffi, the Team has also hired Coach Mike Gillhamer. Gillhamer was most recently the Defensive Backs Coach for the AAF’s Arizona Hotshots. Gillhamer has around 4 decades of experience across the Power 5 ranks of College Football and the NFL. The connection between coach Pep Hamilton and Gillhamer is clear cut, both crossing paths on the Indianapolis Colts staff. Gillhamer has led Defensive Back units across the NFL successfully, so he should provide continued credibility to the coaching staff.

While the resignation of Fitzgerald is certainly unfortunate, these moves provide the Defenders with some level of continuity with their staff. The writers at XFL News Hub wish Coach Fitzgerald’s family improved health and wellness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Konnor Fulk excelled in the Sports Management Program at Georgia Southern University. He spent several seasons working with the Washington Redskins in fan engagement, strategy, and sales strategy. Additionally, Mr. Fulk continues consulting services across the sport of NASCAR. Konnor has a longstanding obsession with the concept of Spring Football and is looking forward to sharing his expertise and opinions about the XFL relaunch. Connect with Konnor on LinkedIn or give him a follow on Twitter @XFLKonnor