McCarthy: Firing ‘couldn’t have been handled any worse’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy says he was “stunned” at the timing of his firing last December and that his dismissal “couldn’t have been handled any worse.”

McCarthy told ESPN in a story posted Wednesday he knew it might be time for him to go if the Packers missed the playoffs. But he was fired with four games left after the Packers lost at home to Arizona, dropping the team to just 4-7-1.

McCarthy says he was summoned to a meeting with team President Mark Murphy and fired in a meeting with “no emotion to it.” He says he always tried to be gentle in releasing players and he didn’t get the same treatment.

McCarthy was in his 13th season as coach and won the Super Bowl in the 2010 season. He finished his tenure in Green Bay with a record of 125-77-2. McCarthy says he is taking a year off but working hard to prepare for a possible coaching job next season.

A Packers spokesman didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.