Tom Coughlin said his resignation from the Giants wasn't a sad occasion. It looked more like a mad occasion.
The head coach, who stepped down after 12 years with the team, earned considerable praise from ESPN's Dan Graziano for the way he ended his tenure in a news conference he did not have to call.
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But the end of his session with the media revealed the turmoil within the Giants organization.
Giants owner John Mara stood up to acknowledge Coughlin after his time at the podium, only to have Coughlin look down and walk right past him, as USA Today Sports' For the Win reported.
Certainly, the video shows more than a twinge of animosity between owner and coach.
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It could be the reason Coughlin announced his resignation, rather than Mara firing him.
The scene also was a departure of the initial statements from Coughlin and Mara when the news first broke.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as head coach of the New York Football Giants, part of Coughlin's statement read, as reported by ESPN. "This is a not a sad occasion for me. I have spent 15 years with this organization as an assistant and head coach and was fortunate to be part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. A Lombardi Trophy every five years is an achievement in which we all take great pride."
Mara's statement on Coughlin glowed about the coach.
"It is difficult to come up with words adequate to describe the appreciation we have for everything Tom Coughlin has done for our franchise," Mara said. "In addition to delivering two Super Bowl titles, Tom represented us with class and dignity and restored the pride to our entire organization. He has all the qualities you could ever ask for in a head coach and set very high standards for whoever will succeed him."
The reason for the animosity is unclear, but could explain why the 69-year-old Coughlin has said he hasn't ruled out a return to coaching. In his farewell speech, Coughlin talked about the coach's responsibility to the players.
"While it is the job of the head coach to get the technical football right, to make sure the X's and O's are efficient, that the players have a great plan and a chance to win games," Coughlin said, "it is our duty to equip these men with the virtues that will last a lifetime -- the values like honesty, trust, responsibility, respect, service and integrity. Those are the things that we teach, in addition to football."
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