The Philadelphia Eagles this afternoon fired someone named Tim McDermott. From a football standpoint, it's not a big deal. McDermott was the team's senior vice president and chief marketing officer, so it's not like he was responsible for, say, drafting Jaiquwan Jarrett. If anything, shitcanning McDermott does nothing but provide more grist for frustrated fans who feel the franchise is eager to point the finger at anybody but Andy Reid or GM Howie Roseman, the men most responsible for the dumpster fire this season has become.
Ah, but these are the Eagles, for whom nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Turns out McDermott is the older brother of Sean McDermott, the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator. Yes, that's the same Sean McDermott who was fired by the Eagles after the 2010 season, his eighth with the team and second as defensive coordinator. The same Sean McDermott whose Panthers are currently in Philly to play the Eagles tonight. The same Sean McDermott, who, like Tim, was raised in the Philly suburbs. That's right: The Eagles fired one of their executives on the day his brother—who had once been fired by the Eagles, too—returned to their hometown to play a game against the Eagles. Such a proud day for the McDermott family. If only the Eagles had a marketing executive who could tell them their timing on this could have been better.