By Michael Heilman

On Wednesday, the BC Lions relieved head coach DeVone Claybrooks of his duties ending his lone season in BC with a 5-13 record, finishing last place in the West Division.

The move came four days after the 2019 season ended for the Lions. Lions General Manager Ed Hervey expressed his disappointment on the season, saying, “We did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves in 2019 and more importantly, we did not meet the expectations of our season ticket holders, fans and partners.” Hervey thanked Claybrooks, saying, “We thank DeVone for his time and dedication while also wishing him the very best in the future.”

After finishing with a five hundred record in 2018, the Lions went all-in in the offseason signing big names players like quarterback Mike Reilly, offensive lineman Sukh Chungh, defensive back Aaron Grymes and receiver Duron Carter. The team dropped their first ten games out of eleven and were the first team in the West Division to be eliminated from playoff contention.

Claybrooks was a high candidate just a year ago after spending six years, winning two Grey Cups as a defensive lines coach and a defensive coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders.

Before going to the CFL, Claybrooks played in the NFL for five years for several teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when they won Super Bowl XXXVII. After the 2005 season, Claybrooks then went to the CFL playing for the Montreal Alouettes, where they lost the 96th Grey Cup to the Calgary Stampeders in Montreal. Claybrooks then finished his football career with the Calgary Stampeders before retiring after the 2011 season. After retiring from football, Claybrooks then transitioned to coaching as the Stampeders defensive lines coach for three years before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2016 until leaving for the Lions head coaching job after the 2018 season.

Claybrooks is the second head coach to be let go after former Ottawa Redblacks coach Rick Campbell was fired on Monday. It’ll be interesting to see where Claybrooks ends up next. Could he land another head coaching job, or will he go back to being a defensive coordinator somewhere?