On Oct. 23, five days before Florida's annual rivalry game with Georgia, Gators coach Jim McElwain addressed media members during what was supposed to be a routine Monday press conference.
He began by praising the Bulldogs, addressing injuries and offering his continued support for starting quarterback Feleipe Franks. What he said next took Florida officials completely by surprise. In response to a question about his team's perseverance during a disappointing 3-3 season, he said players had received threats and members of his family had received death threats.
"There's a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of anger," McElwain said. "And yet it's freedom to show it. The hard part is obviously when the threats [are] against your own players, the death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there."
Florida officials were caught off-guard by the remarks, and after meeting with McElwain following Monday's practice, the university released a statement that raised eyebrows for how it appeared to distance the university from its coach's remarks: "The University Athletic Association takes the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and families very seriously. Our administration met with Coach McElwain this afternoon, and he offered no additional details."
The episode was the latest source of tension between McElwain and the administration that multiple sources told ESPN had been brewing since early in his tenure at Florida. Over the course of the past week, ESPN spoke with multiple sources within the Florida administration, as well as those close to McElwain. They offered details about the sequence of events that led to the third-year head coach and Florida parting ways on Oct. 29, in what UF athletic director Scott Stricklin described as a "mutually agreed-upon decision." According to these sources, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, what appeared to be a swift resolution to a bizarre week in Gainesville was the culmination of longstanding disputes and disagreements.
Prior to the start of the Georgia game, ESPN reported that Florida officials had begun discussing whether they could fire McElwain for cause as a result of his remarks. Stricklin released a statement addressing reports concerning McElwain's job status, saying the school had not had any conversations with McElwain or his representatives regarding a buyout of his contract.
Jim McElwain's Florida tenure ended unceremoniously following a 42-7 loss to Georgia and a dispute over comments he made regarding threats against his family and players. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Twenty-four hours later, after a 42-7 loss to the Bulldogs, that changed, as the two sides began discussing a mutual separation. The university and McElwain agreed to part ways after school officials asked him to accept less than his $12.76 million buyout and step down as Gators coach. Final terms of the buyout are still being negotiated.
"It was never the right fit," a Florida source said of McElwain's head coaching tenure in Gainesville. "It was an odd fit from the beginning. He never embraced being here and being part of a team."
When UF officials initiated negotiations on Sunday, they advised McElwain's agent, Jimmy Sexton, that they intended to fire McElwain with cause and believed they did not owe him any part of his buyout because McElwain failed to alert university officials about the alleged threats against players and coaches.
McElwain's wife was allegedly the recipient of a threatening message on Facebook, and McElwain himself also allegedly received threatening messages but did not provide evidence of them to Florida officials. At least one player allegedly received vulgar and racist messages that resulted in the player's mother contacting Florida coaches. When pressed by Florida officials to elaborate or provide additional details, McElwain declined. He has told people close to him that he regrets talking about the threats publicly and that he did not want to drag family members, players or staffers into further controversy.
Several days after first making the comments, McElwain met with University of Florida police, according to sources both at Florida and close to McElwain. He informed them that he was fine and did not wish to take further action.
Following the loss to Georgia, McElwain was asked about his comments and said, "When you look back, I've made mistakes in my life. And yet I stand by everything that occurred. It is what it is."
